Youth Congress-SFI clash: Leaders trade charges over violence in TVM

Thiruvananthapuram: The clash between Youth Congress and SFI activists in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday has triggered a political war of words, with leaders of the Congress, CPM and BJP trading allegations over what led to the violence and the subsequent police action.

The confrontation broke out near the University College hostel in Palayam during a Youth Congress march demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The march was led by Youth Congress state president and Minister O J Janeesh, MP Shafi Parambil and other leaders. According to reports, stones and bottles were allegedly thrown from the hostel towards the marchers. Youth Congress workers retaliated by throwing burning torches towards the hostel, after which the situation escalated into a clash between the two groups.

Police intervened after the violence spread to the University College and Palayam areas. Tear gas and lathicharge were used to disperse the protesters, while several students, activists and police personnel were injured. Police later entered the hostel premises and carried out a lathicharge. The SFI has announced a class boycott in protest against the police action.

O J Janeesh: ‘Why did SFI intervene?’
Minister O J Janeesh alleged that the SFI was responsible for triggering the confrontation. He questioned why SFI activists intervened when the Youth Congress was holding a protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

Janeesh said the march and the placards raised during the protest were directed against the Election Commission and the alleged disregard for democracy, and not against Pinarayi Vijayan or the CPM.

P C Vishnunadh questions SFI action
Minister P C Vishnunadh also questioned the SFI's role in the incident.

“Why did the SFI pelt stones at the Youth Congress when they were protesting against Gyanesh Kumar?” he asked, questioning whether Gyanesh Kumar was the “uncle” of the SFI.

Shafi Parambil: ‘March was not against CPM or SFI’
Shafi Parambil, who led the march, said the protest was never intended to target either the CPM or the SFI.

He alleged that the initial provocation came when stones were thrown from the university campus towards the Youth Congress march. Shafi said Gyanesh Kumar was neither a CPM member nor someone holding any significant position in the party.

He also questioned why the CPM and SFI should object to protests against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and what the Congress describes as BJP's actions in Thiruvananthapuram.

CPM leaders allege police brutality
The CPM, meanwhile, has taken a different position on the incident, focusing on the police action inside the university hostel.

CPM state secretary M V Govindan alleged that action should be taken against the police officers who attacked SFI activists.

Former minister V Sivankutty alleged that SFI activists were subjected to police brutality. He also alleged that the police action was carried out in coordination with Youth Congress workers.

CPI state secretary Binoy Viswam, who visited injured students, questioned why the students were subjected to what he described as brutal police action. He also questioned whether such force was the appropriate way to handle the situation.

Viswam further alleged that the incident was part of a deliberate attempt by the Congress to divert attention from what he described as a coordinated relationship between the Congress and the BJP.

The CPM leadership has demanded action against police officers involved in the lathicharge. Opposition Leader Pinarayi Vijayan also visited the hostel and criticised the police action, alleging that the attack on SFI activists was planned. The CPM and SFI have disputed the Youth Congress version of how the clash began, alleging that the Congress workers provoked the violence.

BJP: ‘They don't even know what they are fighting for’
BJP leader V Muraleedharan meanwhile criticised the confrontation between the two organisations.

Muraleedharan said the incident showed how political violence was affecting public peace. He questioned Rahul Gandhi's position on whether such conduct by Congress workers was the kind of politics he wanted the party to follow.

He also took a swipe at the Congress and CPM, pointing out that the two parties were allies nationally as part of the INDIA bloc.

Muraleedharan described the Youth Congress-SFI confrontation as a “laughable situation” and said the two sides did not even appear to know what they were fighting over.

What happened at the University hostel?
The sequence of events remains disputed by the two sides. Youth Congress leaders allege that SFI activists inside the hostel first threw stones and bottles at their march. The SFI, on the other hand, alleges that Youth Congress and KSU workers provoked the students and threw burning torches into the hostel premises. Police said an altercation broke out after the march passed the hostel, with both sides throwing objects at each other.

The clash comes at a politically significant moment, as the Youth Congress protest was part of a wider campaign demanding the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The violence in Thiruvananthapuram has now turned a protest against the Election Commission into a fresh confrontation between the Congress and Left student organisations.