GUWAHATI
The Nagaland Baptist Church Council (NBCC) has opposed the Centre’s order to play or sing the revised version of Vande Mataram, the National Song, at official events to mark India’s 80th Independence Day.
The church body’s opposition follows the Naga Students’ Federation’s call to ensure that schools and other educational institutions do not send their students to participate in the Independence Day programmes. The students’ body also said students who decline to sing Vande Mataram “on grounds of conscience or religious beliefs” should not face disciplinary action or discrimination.
In a statement on Thursday (August 13, 2026) evening, the NBCC said it was against any directive or practice that seeks to compel citizens, particularly Christians, to sing Vande Mataram. It maintained that patriotism should arise from willing participation and a shared love for the nation rather than compulsion.
At the same time, the church body called upon all stakeholders to express their positions peacefully and constructively, cautioning that disagreement over national symbols or patriotic practices should not become a source of communal tension or social division.
The NBCC said it fully respects national symbols, patriotic sentiments, and the constitutional values of India. However, it insisted that matters concerning faith, conscience, religious conviction, and deeply held identity require “the highest degree of sensitivity, wisdom, and respect.”
“National unity cannot be strengthened by compelling citizens to participate in an expression that, for reasons of faith or conscience, they may not be able to embrace,” the NBCC said, reminding the Centre that India was a plural and diverse nation.
“India’s unity will be strongest when every citizen, irrespective of faith, community, culture, or conviction, can say with confidence that there is a rightful place for them in the nation and that their conscience will be respected,” it added.
Published – August 15, 2026 04:32 am IST
