It was a night of horror that no one would want to relive. On the night of July 1, Vineeth Kannan, an MA (Economics) student of Maharaja's College, Ernakulam, heard loud cries and saw a crowd of men in front of the men's hostel on the campus.
Vineeth, an SFI activist from Kumbalam, instinctively rushed in, only to find himself in the midst of a deadly knife attack. A 12-member gang of the People's Front of India (PFI) had by then knifed Abhimanyu, another SFI activist and student of the college.
“I was on the campus. Suddenly, we saw a crowd in front of the men's hostel. I could hear loud screams and cries. I saw men with blood on their daggers...” Vineeth said.
Vineeth said he was lucky to have survived the attack. He was discharged recently from the Medical Trust Hospital after treatment for 'severe stab wounds.' Hospital reports said Vineeth was stabbed on the right thigh causing a deep, long wound leading to immense blood-loss.
“Abhimanyu and I knew each other as soccer lovers. He was an ardent fan of Colombia and I belong to the Argentina fan club. We teased and challenged each other about the World Cup finals in the afternoon and parted joyfully. Though I am a day-scholar, I frequented the men's hostel and had a lot of friends there,” he said.
Abhimanyu was a vocal person and there is no nook of the college that does not reverberate with his voice, Vineeth said.
“Even his final cry startled everyone present,” Vineeth added.
He said there was no indication of an impending conflict on the campus until the attack took place.
Vineeth said the gang had no 'identifiable face.' “Everyone came from outside. We didn't know why we were being attacked. I entered the scene to dissuade the attackers and force them to withdraw,” he said.
Vineeth's mother is a daily wage worker in a local restaurant. His father passed away when Vineeth was barely ten years old. Vineeth's mother is apprehensive of Vineeth's return to the college.
“I reached the spot after Abhimanyu was stabbed. I didn't see Arjun getting attacked. (Arjun, another student, was injured in the attack. He is still in a critical stage). When I got involved in the team trying to dissuade the attackers, two of the miscreants tried to stab me. I defended by raising my leg. I escaped due to sheer luck,” Vineeth told Onmanorama.
Vineeth said Abhimanyu had many academic and political plans for the college. His friends are planning to take the activities forward. "We intend to do something creative in his fond memory. We are waiting to get back to the campus,” he said
