Students’ Organisations agitations at Calicut University turn violent- Five students injured
The Calicut University campus on Tuesday witnessed a plethora of protests by four students’ organisations raising various demands.
The activists belonging to Students’ Federation of India (SFI), Kerala Students’ Union (KSU), Muslim Students’ Union (MSF) and Fraternity took out separate demonstrations to the varsity administration block where Syndicate meeting was being held.
When the protesters forced their way to the Syndicate meeting, the Police lathicharged them. Five students who were injured in the police action were admitted to the Tirurangadi Government Taluk hospital and Kozhikode Medical College.
The SFI March was for the time bound revision of the Calicut University Union election manual and for the restriction of the excessive representation of University Union councillors from self finacing colleges.
The KSU took out the march against the alleged move of the varsity to sabotage University Union elections by descriminating against the coucillors from self financing colleges. They alleged that attempts were being made to curtail the voting rights of Union councillors from those colleges by selecting a few from the elected members so as to ensure the victory of SFI.
The protest march of Fraternity was also on the similar lines of KSU against the move of the varsity to curtail the representation of Union councillors from self financing colleges.
The KSU, MSF and Fraternity are up in arms against the move to restrict the franchise of the self financing College councillors whose number is high in the electorate and so is a determining force in the elections. The SFI is not optimistic in the elections and expects a setback with a dismal representation from self financing colleges, the detractors of SFI alleged.
The SFI workers who reached first stood at the entrance of the Administration block.
The MSF activists who followed the SFI demonstration were made to stand on the side of the porch by the Police.
With the front side of the Administration block was overcrowded with the workers of two students’ organizations, the Police blocked the students of Fraternity who were marching to Administration block from entering into its entrance.
The Fraternity members forced their way to the office pushing the Police aside.
The Police resorted to lathicharge when the situation went out of control.
In the scuff with the Police, Fraternity State secretary K. S. Nissar and other two workes of the organization were injured. They were admitted to the Tirurangadi Taluk Government hospital.
Later, the KSU workers confronted the Police. The Police again resorted to lathicharge.
T. P. Asthad who fell down and got injured on his head in the scuffle was admitted to a private hospital in Chelari, from where he was referred to Kozhikode Medical College hospital.
According to a statement by Fraternity, their State President Shamsir Ibrahim, Malappuram district general Secretary Sanal Kumar, Kozhikode district general Secretary Labeeb Katakkody, district leaders, Sheriff C.P, and Insaf KK have been arrested.
The Fraternity will observe December 4 as protest day on the campuses in protest against the police high-handedness on their workers and the anti democratic move of the left controlled Syndicate of the Calicut University to sabotage elections in favour of SFI
