Thiruvananthapuram, Nov 4 Leader of the Opposition, Pinarayi Vijayan, on Wednesday termed the suspension of the 16 students of Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit at Kalady as a “vengeful” act by the institution and its vice-chancellor.
Vijayan, in a Facebook post, claimed that the students had held a peaceful protest by way of a street play for basic facilities and pending fellowships, but they have been suspended over it for the last 66 days.
“It has been 66 days since the students of Kalady Sanskrit University were vengefully locked out for democratically organising a protest for their just rights,” he alleged.
He also alleged that the state Higher Education Minister Roji M John and the Governor’s nominee, VC Ciza Thomas, are calling the students who performed the play “uncivilised”.
Vijayan claimed that even Chief Minister V D Satheesan was supporting the version being spread by the Lok Bhavan regarding the suspension of the students.
Earlier in the day, at a press conference here, the CM said that the action was taken against the students for attacking the Syndicate meeting of the university.
At the same time, he also said that he was of the personal view that students should write their exams and that some punishment can be given for holding the protests.
John, speaking to reporters, said that protests and violence were different from each other.
He said that no one was opposed to peaceful democratic protests, but violence in the guise of agitation cannot be condoned.
Vijayan, in his post, further claimed that the play performed by the students was misinterpreted as the funeral of the VC and later false cases of violence and insulting women were registered against the students — all as part of a “planned agenda”.
He further said that despite an investigation committee member reporting there was no evidence against the students, and the Kerala High Court single judge allowing the students to write the exams, the VC “tried to ruin the future of the students” by appealing against the single judge order.
“The public conscience of the country is with the students who are on a hunger strike at the university gate, defying the authorities’ arrogant generosity that they can be reinstated if they write a pardon,” the opposition leader said in his post.
He alleged that what is being seen at Kalady university is the latest example of the UDF’s foot-worship of the Sangh Parivar agenda and said that the society was standing with the protesting students who have been on a hunger strike since Monday.
(PTI News)
