Several students at the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) in Jammu who skipped the September 17 lamp-lighting ceremony to mark Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s birthday have been issued show-cause notices and warned of a Rs 500 fine.The notices were issued by the IIM Students Council, directing students to submit written explanations for their absence from the event.“This is to inform you that you were marked absent from the ‘Deepak Lighting Ceremony’ held on September 17, despite attendance being mandatory. You are hereby required to submit a written explanation stating the reason for your absence,” the notice read. It further stated that exemptions were to be granted only on medical grounds. Students were asked to submit their replies by September 18.IIM Students Council president Akul Sharma said notices were initially issued to 65 students. “However, some of them were away for placements, while others were unwell. Their notices have since been withdrawn. No student has been fined Rs 500 so far,” he said, adding that the “notices were issued as per the rules”.An IIM spokesperson said the matter was discussed at a meeting of the institution’s senior functionaries. “No fine has been imposed on any student, but the issue has taken a political turn. Students are encouraged to participate in events organised on the campus so that they remain engaged and active,” the spokesperson said.The ceremony was held at the main reception area of the Academic Block and was attended by BJP MLA Yudhvir Sethi and IIM Director Prof BS Sahay, among others. Extending his greetings to the PM, Prof Sahay said, “We once looked to the world for direction; today, the world looks up to us.”Criticising the IIM administration, Congress’ Jammu and Kashmir in-charge Syed Naseer Hussain questioned why attendance at a function celebrating PM Modi’s birthday had been made mandatory for students.“Is this part of an IIM’s academic mandate, or has PM Modi’s publicity been brought onto the campus as a compulsory exercise? Educational institutions should nurture independent thinking, not compel students to attend celebrations for a political leader or threaten them with penalties. The BJP’s publicity events should be kept out of our premier educational institutions,” Hussain posted on X.