Chaotic scenes marred the Kerala University Union Youth Festival 2024 on its penultimate day on March 10 (Sunday) as the annual event assumed a political hue amid clashes between Students’ Federation of India (SFI) and Kerala Students Union (KSU) activists.
A day after the police detained four persons including a judge on bribery charges, the Kerala University headquarters in Palayam witnessed high drama when a group of KSU activists marched to the main festival venue at the Senate Hall.
The protesters led by Aparna Prasannan, union chairperson of the Government Law College, Thiruvananthapuram, accused SFI workers of assaulting students from various colleges including the law college, Nedumangad Government College and Mar Ivanios College, where the college unions are currently helmed by the Congress-feeder KSU. They also charged the police with remaining mute spectators to such instances of violence.
While the demonstrators’ efforts to enter the stage were thwarted by the police, they were forced to exit the hall following protests raised by participants of the Oppana competition who waited long hours for their chance to perform since late Saturday. KSU activists were later forcibly removed by the Cantonment police following a complaint raised by the university union. In an act of provocation, SFI workers organised an impromptu celebratory dance at the Senate Hall as the KSU activists were taken away.
The police have maintained they would act tough against any person indulging in unlawful activities, irrespective of the organisation they belonged to. The statements of the complainants will be recorded at the earliest, an official said.
Principal’s letter to Chancellor
Meanwhile, the management of Mar Ivanios College has complained to the Chancellor against alleged attempts made to malign student participants at the youth festival.
The college principal has written in his letter that “a group of protesting students” has been raising “baseless and spurious allegations” against the students of the college in a bid to defame the institution. “The harrowing situation has created mental trauma to them and an uncertainty in their participation for which they have been preparing for the last two months,” he stated.
The letter was sent shortly after the appellate committee of the youth festival decided to re-conduct the Margamkali competition, following complaints of biased judging and bribery. The declaration of Mar Ivanios College as the winners of the competition with Swathi Thirunal College for Music and University College emerging first and second runners-up, had sparked protests by a section of participants.
