Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan (File). Photo Credit: S. Mahinsa
Kerala University on Tuesday (December 17, 2024) became tense after a group of Students’ Union of India (SFI) activists breached police security to storm the university premises at Palayam in Thiruvananthapuram.
This happened when Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan, who also serves as the university’s chancellor, attended a seminar.
Security was tightened early in the morning due to expected protests against Mr. Khan’s visit to Kerala University for the first time in two years. The seminar was organized by the Sanskrit department, but the governor’s participation led to a boycott of the event by Left-backed syndicate members and the in-charge vice-chancellor of the university, Mohanan Kunnammal, accused it of bypassing the decision-making body of the university.
Shortly after Mr. Khan arrived at the Senate Hall for the program, at around 11.30 in the morning, the state president K. SFI activists led by Anushree broke open the locked main gate and forced entry into the campus. Despite police attempts to disperse the protesters with water cannons and other means, the activists persisted.
The security breach was of particular concern as the Kerala Raj Bhavan had earlier warned about similar incidents at events involving the governor.
Protesters have laid siege
The protesters then besieged the closed entrance of the Senate hall and terrorized the police. Attempts to forcibly remove the protesters failed, and the police had to retreat to prevent further violence.
Finally, accusing the university of trying to saffronize the protestors, shouting slogans against both the governor and the vice-chancellor, left the campus on their own.
published – December 17, 2024 at 02:04 pm IST