The Nagaland government has postponed its official International Day of Yoga celebrations to June 22 after facing strong opposition from student bodies, tribal organisations, church groups and political parties over plans to hold the programme on a Sunday in the Christian-majority state.
In a fresh order issued on Sunday, the School Education Department instructed the Directorate of School Education to reschedule Yoga Day activities in all educational institutions to Monday.
The decision followed criticism of an earlier directive that had asked government and private schools to organise Yoga Day events on June 21, ensure the participation of students and staff, and submit reports accompanied by GPS-tagged photographs.
The Naga Students’ Federation (NSF) criticised the original order, describing it as insensitive to the religious sentiments of the state’s predominantly Christian population. The organisation stated that Sunday is observed as a sacred day of worship and argued that requiring schools to conduct yoga programmes on that day infringed upon the constitutional and religious rights of the people.
The Central Nagaland Tribes Council also opposed the move, saying educational institutions should not be compelled to participate in activities perceived to have religious or cultural associations that may conflict with the beliefs of the majority community.
Similar objections were raised by the Nagaland Congress and several other organisations, while church groups expressed concern over the timing of the programme.
The Nagaland Baptist Pastors’ Union maintained that yoga is rooted in religious and philosophical traditions that do not align with Christian beliefs and urged churches and educational institutions to stay away from the observance.
Amid mounting criticism, the state government opted to shift the official celebrations to June 22.
Despite the postponement, several Central government institutions, security establishments and other organisations conducted Yoga Day programmes independently on Sunday as part of the nationwide observance of the International Day of Yoga.
