Kochi: Ernakulam's Maharaja's College's five students, who were arrested for allegedly carrying out graffiti work on the college walls, have been granted bail by a court here Wednesday.
The students were produced before the Chief Judicial Magistrate Court Tuesday and remanded to judicial custody. The court granted bail to the students Wednesday.
The arrest of the students has created a political storm with Leader of Opposition in the state assembly Ramesh Chennithala accusing the police under chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan-led government of adopting a 'brutal fascist policy' to silence the voices of students, artists and writers.
The arrests were made based on a complaint by college principal in which she had alleged that the students through their alleged graffiti work caused destruction to the public property.
Protesting against the arrests, Chennithala, students and activists had alleged that action was taken against the students for writing poems of eminent Malayalam poets on walls.
"The police controlled by Pinarayi Vijayan is implementing the agenda of the BJP," Chennithala said in a release.
However, the police in a press release said that the arrests were made on the college principal's complaint over an incident that took place on November 23. The principal complained that the students caused destruction to public property to the tune of Rs 50,000 and drew obscene images on walls in the campus.
The police also clarified that no arrests have been made over the December incident when students drew on the walls, as reported in a section of media.
Meanwhile, a section of students Wednesday gheraoed the principal for two hours, accusing her of taking revengeful steps against the students.
(With agency inputs)