Kasaragod: A pro-Palestine mime, which was cut short last Friday for violating school Kalolsavam guidelines and triggering angry protests, was allowed to be staged again on Monday at Government Higher Secondary School in Kumbla. It went on to win first prize in the higher secondary category.

This time, the Plus II students adhered fully to the rules, performing without props such as soft toys representing dying children, posters, or flags. On Friday, the same students had waved Palestinian flags, carried photos and placards, and used a swaddled soft toy, prompting teachers to pull the curtain just two minutes into the performance. The incident triggered protests from students and led some teachers to threaten non-cooperation, resulting in the partial cancellation of the school Kalolsavam, the annual festival that culminates in the prestigious Kerala School Kalolsavam.

The following day, on Saturday, activists from the Muslim Students Federation (MSF), the student wing of the Muslim League, barged into a PTA meeting convened to discuss the rescheduling of remaining events. They were later joined by members of the Students Federation of India (SFI), the student wing of the ruling CPM. TV coverage misrepresented the incident as the cancellation of the mime due to its Palestine theme, whereas it was the violation of festival rules that led to the disruption.

School Education Minister V Sivankutty also intervened, taking to Facebook to ask: "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 perform the same mime."

Meanwhile, the stand-in Deputy Director of Education (DDE), Savitha Pundoor, said she submitted a report on the episode to the Directorate of General Education and the District Collectorate on Saturday. Though she and DDE Madhusoodanan (who's on leave) declined to reveal the report’s contents, sources said it largely mirrored Onmanorama's earlier coverage, exonerating the teachers who had pulled the curtains.

Collector K Inbasekar said he was yet to receive any report from the Education Department or police, which he called for on Saturday.

The DDE's report did not, however, support the section of teachers who refused to cooperate in organising the remaining events, leading to the festival’s partial cancellation, said a source. The PTA later decided to hold the rest of the events on Monday.

On Monday, the Class 12 students performed the mime again. They initially wore keffiyehs, the Arab headscarf, but removed them before the performance, in compliance with festival rules prohibiting political props while allowing political themes. The five-minute performance depicted the relentless bombardment of Gaza, showing children collecting water, receiving food, and civilians in refugee camps. The students concluded by chanting slogans of 'Free Palestine' for a minute, earning sustained cheers from their peers.

Ahmed Rishad, a participant, thanked the minister and the government for giving them another opportunity to perform. He, however, said he wanted to move past the incident as everything ended on a positive note. Another student, Vaishnavi, acknowledged that the curtain had been pulled down not because of the theme but because the participants violated the mime rules.

BJP youth wing protests
Meanwhile, activists from the BJP Yuva Morcha staged a march to the school in protest against the decision to allow the students to perform the mime again. The protesters alleged that the students were being politically exploited. They also wrongly claimed that Kollam police had filed cases against 27 RSS workers for creating a floral rangoli (pookalam) on Operation Sindoor at Parthasarathy temple in Muthupilakkadu during Onam celebrations, but stood mute in Kumbla. The fact was that the temple committee had called in the police because the RSS workers had made an RSS flag using flowers and displayed posters and flex boards, violating a court order banning political symbols in the temple. Neither the FIR nor the temple committee's complaint mentioned Operation Sindoor.