KASARGOD: The SFI students of Nehru College, Kanhangad, 'celebrated' the retirement of principal P.V. Pushpaja on Wednesday by bursting crackers and putting up posters in the college auditorium saying 'Goodbye to the teacher who died in the hearts of her students.'

This was in retaliation for her tough stand on the SFI students who were not given privileges like attendance when they were not present in the college. The students also posted a video of the celebration on the social media after the college gave her and a few other teachers a farewell party on Wednesday. Soon after the function, some SFI students gathered in the college auditorium, burst crackers and put up the posters.

The principal, however, reacted saying that only a few students had disliked the disciplinary action taken by her in the college. The KSU, Kasargod, in a press statement asked the SFI to apologise to the principal as well as the student community. "SFI is a shame to the student community. This is not the first time that they are insulting Pushpaja teacher. Their opposition is because she had not approved of their political stand and not given them attendance without presence in the college," said KSU district president Noel Tomin Joseph.

It may be recalled that similar incidents had happened in some other colleges also in the past. A section of SFI students of Maharaja's College, Ernakulam, had burnt the principal's chair a few months ago. In Victoria College, Palakkad, a tomb was made for the outgoing principal.