Students Federation of India activists protest at Kerala University, students clash with police, accuse Vice-Chancellor of saffronising university – Kerala News

Activists of the Students Federation of India (SFI) took out a march towards Kerala University today in protest against the recent arrests of their members during an agitation at the university. The protestors, demanding the release of the detained activists, clashed with police who used multiple rounds of water cannons to disperse the crowd. Tensions escalated as students attempted to forcefully enter the campus.

The protestors raised slogans condemning the alleged “anti-student stance” of the university’s Vice-Chancellor, Dr Mohanan Kunnummal, and displayed banners criticising his actions. One banner prominently displayed at the University headquarters read, “Kerala VC is missing”, featuring an image comparing the Vice-Chancellor to RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat. The protestors also called the Vice-Chancellor an “RSS puppet”, accusing him of aligning with the ideology of the RSS.

The SFI, the student wing of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), has been on an indefinite protest for the past 13 days, demanding the installation of the Kerala University Students Union. The Vice-Chancellor has refused to issue the notification to constitute the union, citing the disruption of elections for some union seats and a pending court case on the matter. However, SFI activists have alleged that Dr Kunnummal is attempting to saffronise the university.

The protestors set up a tent on the Senate House campus, but faced police action after the university registrar requested their removal and the demolition of the tent. Several SFI activists were arrested.