‘Sanghi VC to the Arabian Sea’: SFI march to Raj Bhavan turns chaotic
Though police attempted to pacify the protesters, they refused withdraw from Raj Bhavan.
Though police attempted to pacify the protesters, they refused withdraw from Raj Bhavan.
Though police attempted to pacify the protesters, they refused withdraw from Raj Bhavan.
Thiruvananthapuram: A protest march by the Students' Federation of India (SFI) to the Raj Bhavan turned tense and chaotic on Thursday, as activists clashed with the police in the heart of the state capital. The march, held to protest Kerala Governor Rajendra Arlekar’s alleged saffronisation of higher education institutions, saw several SFI members scaling police barricades and defying multiple warnings of tear gas deployment.
During the demonstration, SFI activists unfurled a provocative banner reading ‘Sanghi VC to the Arabian Sea’, targeting Kerala University Vice Chancellor Mohanan Kunnummal. Around 10–12 protesters, including SFI state president P M Sivaprasad, climbed barricades set up near the Raj Bhavan. Some even dismantled parts of the barricade to push forward.
Police raised banners twice announcing the impending use of tear gas, but SFI workers stood firm, shouting slogans like “This battle isn’t over.” Some were heard taunting the police: “We SFI workers are here: go ahead and open it!”
Television visuals showed hundreds of SFI activists marching through the streets, converging near the Raj Bhavan in a show of strength.
Thursday’s protest comes amid ongoing unrest on Kerala University campus. Earlier this week, SFI activists stormed the university headquarters demanding the resignation of the Vice Chancellor, following the suspension of Registrar KS Anil Kumar. The suspension was reportedly linked to the cancellation of an event involving the Governor at the Senate Hall, which the VC viewed as a sign of disrespect to the Governor.
The university syndicate later passed a resolution revoking the suspension, but acting VC Ciza Thomas overruled it and appointed Mini Kappan as interim registrar.
SFI has also announced a state-wide agitation against what it describes as attempts to impose RSS ideology on university campuses. The tipping point, according to the outfit, was the recent display of a Bharat Mata image during an event at Kerala University’s senate chamber.