A university in Kerala on Thursday allowed students of one of its affiliated colleges to conduct a “pooja” for Hindu deity Saraswati after protests, PTI reported. Students from northern states at the Cochin University College of Engineering Kuttanad had protested the authorities’ decision to not grant them permission to organise the religious function in its Alappuzha campus.

The students had asked college authorities for permission to conduct “Saraswati Pooja” on three days, starting February 9. This request was then sent ahead to authorities of the Cochin University of Science & Technology, who denied permission on the grounds that it was a “secular campus” and would not allow religious activities in the campus.

The students protested against the decision, alleging that college authorities had allowed them to perform the same function in the campus last year. A high-power committee of university officials, comprising the vice-chancellor and registrar, decided to allow students to organise the event on February 10 “in a peaceful manner” in the college campus.

College Principal Dr Sunil Kumar N confirmed the development. “The university has granted permission to conduct the ‘pooja’ provided it will not affect the academics,” he told Scroll.in on Thursday.

In January 2018, the college was forced to shut down for an indefinite period after a clash between two groups of students. A section of students, mostly hailing from the northern states, had claimed they were served beef cutlets during an event on campus, the Hindustan Times reported.