Congress MP Syed Naseer Hussain had slammed IIM Jammu for allegedly threatening ₹500 fine on students skipping PM Modi's birthday event. (File)Congress MP and in-charge of party affairs in Jammu and Kashmir, Dr Syed Naseer Hussain, on Saturday claimed the Indian Institute of Management, Jammu, had issued notices to students asking them to explain their absence from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s birthday celebrations held on campus on September 17 and warning of a Rs 500 fine if they don’t respond.The institute was quick to offer a rebuttal, saying Hussain was misrepresenting an email by the students’ council as instructions issued by the institute.A “deepak lighting ceremony” was organised within the institute’s premises on Thursday to mark Prime Minister Modi’s birthday.Hussain, also the party’s national general secretary, posted on X a “notice” he claimed had been sent to students and asked, “Why should attendance at PM Modi’s birthday celebration be mandatory?”Emphasising that educational institutions should nurture independent minds, not compel students to attend political leaders’ celebrations or threaten them with penalties, he said that the “BJP’s publicity stunts should be kept out of our premier educational institutions”.An IIM spokesperson, however, denied Hussain’s claim, saying a “deepak lighting ceremony” was indeed held on campus, but it was not mandatory for students to attend. He denied that the institute had issued any notice threatening to penalise students, and dared Hussain to provide proof.“The Congress leader is trying to make an issue for political gains out of a non-issue by pasting an email issued by a students’ council of the IIM,” the spokesperson said, adding that the institute organises events of national importance that students can attend as per their choice. “We will be organising a plantation and a sanitation drive on October 2, but participation in it is left to the students,” the spokesperson said.Story continues below this adThe “notice” shared by Hussain states at the end: “Student Council, IIM-Jammu”.