Vadodara: A senior professor at Maharaja Sayajirao University (MSU) has raised concerns over what he described as the “rising” trend of religiosity on campus, urging vice-chancellor prof Bhalchandra Bhanage to frame a policy against religious rituals, symbols, images and temples on university premises.In an open letter to the VC, Jagrut Gadit, head of Department of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Technology & Engineering, said religious practices were increasingly becoming part of official programmes and inaugurations.Gadit shared the letter on a Whatsapp group of the Akhil Bharatiya Rashtriya Shaikshik Mahasangh, a right wing teachers association at MSU. When asked by TOI, Gadit confirmed that he had shared the letter.Gadit said universities should foster open-minded questioning, including of religious beliefs and practices. He also flagged religious images in offices, laboratories, classrooms and staff rooms, besides temples that he said had come up on campus.He also linked the issue to MSU’s aspirations for a higher position in global rankings and referred to the VC’s Independence Day appeal to students to protect democratic values, questioning whether overt religious practices could give young students a distorted impression of the nation and democracy.
