Saraswati idol 'without saree' at Tripura college sparks row; VHP, ABVP stage protest, call it 'vulgar'

The idol was replaced by the college authorities and police were called to the college premises. However, no complaint has been filed by the college or right-wing outfits.

Members of right-wing outfits on Wednesday staged a protest at the Government College of Art and Craft at Agartala's Lichubagan in Tripura over purported vulgarity in a Goddess Saraswati idol.

The incident snowballed when a video depicting the goddess, crafted by college students, without a saree, went viral on social media.

The idol in question stirred outrage among the members of the Rashtriya Swayansevak Sangh (RSS)-affiliated student body Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarti Parishad (ABVP), Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), which expressed strong umbrage over it, and made the college authorities drape the idol with a saree.

Tutan Das, Tripura state coordinator of Bajrang Dal, expressed strong condemnation for what he described as a "deviation from the cultural and traditional values" expected from students of an arts and crafts college.

"As the video of Maa Saraswati without the traditional saree was circulating on social media, we rushed to the college before the puja began and forced the organisers to adorn a saree on the idol," Das told PTI.

Another VHP activist, Sourabh Das, condemned the students' actions. "We vehemently denounce the lack of decorum shown towards Devi Saraswati by the students of the Government College of Art and Craft. The VHP will not tolerate any disrespect towards Hindu deities," he said.

Meanwhile, the college authorities have claimed that the idol followed a sculpture style of different temples of northern and southern India, The Indian Express reported.

“The idol had followed the sculpture style of different idols as found in different temples of northern and southern India. The idol didn’t copy the statues but followed the style of sculpture. But we certainly didn’t want to hurt anyone’s sentiments,” said Abhijit Bhattacharjee, principal in-charge of the Government College of Art and Craft.

Later, the idol was replaced by the college authorities and police were called at the college premises. However, no complaint has been filed by the college or right-wing outfits.