SFI stages protests across Kerala over Delhi student crackdown; KSU observes educational bandh

The Students' Federation of India (SFI) on Thursday took out protest marches across Kerala in solidarity with the Cockroach Janata Party's (CJP) agitation in Delhi and alleging police brutality on protesting students.

Tensions flared in Palakkad and Kanhangad in Kasaragod district, where SFI activists attempted to march to the head post offices and clashed with police personnel deployed to stop them. Police had erected barricades and deployed large contingents to prevent the protesters from entering the post office premises. In Palakkad, police used water cannons to disperse the demonstrators. 

In Kanhangad, protesters jumped over the barricades, entered the post office compound and scuffled with police.

Protests were also held in Kochi, where students climbed over police barricades while raising slogans against the BJP-led Centre and demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. Police used tear gas to disperse the protesters.

Meanwhile, the Kerala Students Union (KSU), which held demonstrations at all district headquarters on Wednesday, continued the protest with a statewide educational bandh on Thursday. As part of the bandh, the organisation called for a boycott of classes in educational institutions across the state and organised protest marches at all district headquarters.

The protests were triggered by the recent police action against students and Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) activists in Delhi during their agitation over alleged irregularities in the NEET examination.