Kasaragod: On a day when activists around the world marked an International Day of Action for Gaza, a school in Kasaragod's Kumbla found itself at the centre of a storm - over a mime performance that expressed solidarity with Palestine.

The two-day Kalolsavam (arts festival) at Government Higher Secondary School, Kumbla, was suspended after a teacher brought down the curtain during the final moments of a mime, in which students held a photo and a soft toy symbolising the suffering of Palestinian children under Israeli bombardment. The incident, which occurred on Friday evening, triggered violent protests from student organisations and prompted an inquiry by the government.

Teachers of the school said that the reactions of the government and student organisations were guided by the wrong portrayal of what transpired at the school.

In a Facebook post, Minister for General Education, V Sivankutty, said he has directed the Director of General Education to submit a report on the incident. He came down hard on the teachers who downed the curtain on the mime. "I understand that the event was stopped because the theme of the mime was Palestine. Let me make one thing clear: the people of Kerala have always taken a stand against the genocide carried out by Israel in Palestine. Kerala stands with the children of Palestine who are being hunted down. Who has the authority to stop a Palestine-themed mime? I want to make it clear that the students of Kumbla School will be given another opportunity to showcase the same mime on stage."

Kasaragod Collector K Imbasekar has also asked for reports from the District Police and the Deputy Director of General Education on the incident.

The sequence of events
According to Head Teacher Shailaja V R, the students who performed the mime belonged to the higher secondary section. Only two teams were registered in their category, and they requested to perform on Friday instead of the scheduled Saturday, as they were participating in the district sports meet at Trikaripur the next day. So the mime of higher secondary school was held late in the day.

"The theme of one of the mimes was Palestine,” she said. “When their turn came, 10 students went on stage. But as per the rules, only five could perform, with one allowed to assist,” Shailaja said. "The students agreed, and four of them stepped down and sat in front of the stage."

During the mime, the performers first displayed a soft toy, portrayed as a baby shrouded in white cloth. "As per rules, no props are allowed. But the organisers allowed it, considering they were students," Shailaja said. The background featured sounds of aerial bombardment, sirens, and the cries of babies.

At 1.50 seconds, a student pulled out a portrait of a grieving Palestinian mother from his pocket and raised it. "That's when a teacher stepped onto the stage and directed another teacher to lower the curtain," said the head teacher. Soon, the rest of the participants also took out Palestine flags and photos from their pockets. At the same time, the four students sitting in front of the stage also went up with Palestine flags and raised slogans in solidarity with Palestine. Another teacher immediately announced that all events for the day had been cancelled.

Shailaja explained that the curtain was brought down because a student had shown a photo. "Props are not allowed in mime as per the rules. That’s why the curtain was lowered. The theme was never an issue, as everyone was watching the mime," she said.

The protests
When protests on the campus raged on Friday night, police came in and dispersed the crowd. "I don't know who called in the police. A lot of parents were also in school at that time," said Shailaja. After the ruckus, the teachers decided to cancel the Kalolsavam events on Saturday.

Saturday morning, a PTA meeting was convened to discuss how to go about the Kalolsavam. At that time, activists of the Muslim Students Federation (MSF) -- the students' wing of the Muslim League -- marched to the school and barged into the meeting. There was a push and shove, and the police had to be called in, as MSF demanded action against the two teachers who lowered the curtain.

MSF leaders stayed put and said they would not leave without the school taking action against the teachers. Manjeshwar MLA A K M Ashraf also reached the school. Kumbla Police had to arrest the students to break up the protest.

"We will continue our protest till there is action against those who tried to silence the students,” the MSF said in a statement, calling the move "a violation of freedom of expression and solidarity."

Later, the Students' Federation of India (SFI), the students' wing of the ruling CPM, also took out a march to the school. SDPI also staged a protest outside the school.

Videos of the performance circulating online show the students raising the Palestinian flag and images symbolising loss, resilience, and global empathy.

Meanwhile, a combined PTA of high school and higher secondary school was held in the evening, and it was decided to organise the remaining events on Monday, said the head teacher.

Similar protest in Kannur
The controversy in Kumbla comes a day after a similar incident in Kannur, where students of Government Higher Secondary School in Ancharakandy, east of Thalassery, were stopped mid-performance for wearing T-shirts with pro-Palestine slogans during a Kolkkali event. School authorities said such expressions violated the youth festival manual, which bars political or religious themes in performances. Student groups, however, view these interventions as an attempt to stifle compassion.

Since the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, Israel has bombed Gaza relentlessly for two years. The Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry said on Saturday that 67,074 people were killed in the Strip.