An activist of the Students' Federation of India (SFI) was stabbed to death by a member of the rival Kerala Students Union (KSU) at the Government Engineering College, Idukki on Monday. SFI activist Dheeraj Rajendran, 21, was allegedly stabbed by Youth Congress member Nikhil Paili. The latter was arrested by the police later. Five others were also taken into custody.
Two other SFI members – Abhijith and Amal – were also critically injured in the attack and have been hospitalised. Reports said the activists of the two organisations clashed during the student body union election, leading to the murder. SFI is the student wing of the CPM, and KSU of the Congress. SFI has been ruling the student union of the college for years.
The Kerala Technology University (KTU) vice-chancellor has asked the college authorities to suspend the student election in the wake of the incident.
Dheeraj was a native of Palakkulangara near Thaliparamba in Kannur. He was stabbed on the neck. Though he was rushed to the Government Medical College Hospital, Idukki, his life could not be saved.
Dheeraj is the son of Rajendran, an LIC agent, and Kala, a nurse at Thaliparamba Taluk Ayurveda Hospital. His younger brother Adwaith is a first-year under graduate student.
The police arrested Paili from a bus while he was trying to flee the district hours after the incident. TV reports said he was alone when he was picked up by the cops. The police had launched a manhunt for the accused after the campus violence claimed a life. SFI leaders of the college had alleged that the attack was carried out by KSU and Youth Congress activists from outside the campus.
"There were minor issues between both the student organisations as election-related activities were on for the last few days. The incident happened at around 1 pm. He was shifted to medical college here but could not be saved," the police said.
Hundreds of students and local Left leaders, including MLAs, gathered at the Idukki Medical College Hospital where the body of the student activist has been kept.
The CPM bought eight cents of land near his house for Dheeraj's funeral. The party said it will erect a monument here to the slain hero.
A hartal has been declared in Taliparamba from 4 pm on Tuesday. Dheeraj's body will be brought here at 6 pm.
CM condemns incident
Condemning the incident, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said attempts to create violence in campuses will not be tolerated. "Police have been directed to bring the culprits before the law at the earliest,"he wrote on social media.
Meanwhile, his cabinet colleague and Higher Education Minister R Bindu and CPM state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan blamed the opposition Congress for the killing.
"The murder is a pointer of the shift in Congress' politics in the state," Bindu said hinting at the party's style of functioning under Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president K Sudhakaran. She said the college authorities were instructed to shut the campus indefinitely in the wake of the murder.
Kodiyeri said Sudhakaran was encouraging his party workers to engage in violence with his provocative style. "If this is the shift to the semi-cadre style (which Sudhakaran speaks about often), people should think about what could happen to them," he said.
He said the CPM would organise protests in the state on Tuesday.
Won't justify murder: Sudhakaran
Reacting to the allegations, Sudhakaran said neither he nor his party would justify the killing. He said the party would figure out the circumstances that led to the murder.
SFI calls for strike
The SFI has called for an education strike across the state on Tuesday. SFI state secretary Sachin Dev, MLA, said KSU has become a "mad mob".
Clashes were reported from several colleges across Kerala following the murder of the SFI activist in Idukki.
In a clash between the two rival groups at Maharaja's College in Ernakulam, 11 KSU activists were reportedly injured.
The SFI had staged a demonstration on the campus after the news of Dheeraj's murder emerged. The demonstration soon gave way to heated exchanges between the two groups resulting in a clash.
The 11 injured were admitted to the Ernakulam General Hospital. KSU alleged that SFI activists had beaten them without provocation.
SFI also staged protests in Thiruvananthapuram. The Congress banners in front of the Secretariat were dismantled by SFI workers.
