Panaji, July 17: The Students Islamic Organisation (SIO) of India, Goa Zone, has demanded accountability from the Directorate of Education (DoE) over a withdrawn circular that allegedly described the organisation as “potentially anti-social and anti-national,” stating that the withdrawal alone cannot undo the damage caused to its reputation.

In a statement issued on Friday, SIO Goa welcomed the Directorate’s decision to withdraw the controversial circulars following its intervention, but maintained that the action did not erase the reputational harm caused by the official communication.

Earlier in the day, SIO Goa State Secretary Shaikh Aftab Hussein, along with members of the State team, met the Director of Education and strongly objected to the circular. Following the meeting, the Directorate reportedly withdrew both circulars with immediate effect, and SIO Goa confirmed that it had received the official withdrawal orders.

However, the organisation questioned why its name had been included in the circular in the first place, alleging that it was publicly stigmatized through an official government communication without prior notice, an opportunity to respond, or any publicly disclosed evidence.

SIO Goa argued that the original circular had been circulated to educational institutions across the state, causing far-reaching consequences that could not simply be reversed by withdrawing the order. It said the organisation was never given an opportunity to present its case before the allegations were officially circulated.

The student organisation has demanded that the Directorate of Education issue a public clarification explaining why SIO was specifically named in the circular, disclose the basis for the allegations, and tender an unconditional public apology for the reputational damage caused to the organisation and its members.

SIO further criticised what it described as undemocratic restrictions imposed by the government on external interactions in educational institutions. It said educational campuses should remain spaces for learning, dialogue and critical inquiry, and asserted that official government communications must be based on facts, constitutional principles and due process rather than unverified allegations.

Reaffirming its commitment to peaceful and constitutional means of working for student welfare and educational rights, SIO Goa stated that it reserves the right to pursue all appropriate legal and democratic remedies to protect its reputation and prevent similar actions in the future.