Kochi, Oct 30 Keralam Minister Roji M John cut short his speech and left the dais after SFI activists staged a protest at Maharaja’s College here on Friday, where he was attending the annual convocation ceremony, officials said.
Chief Minister VD Satheesan and other UDF leaders expressed solidarity with the minister and condemned the incident.
According to college officials, the SFI activists were protesting against the suspension of their leaders at Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit in Kalady.
The disciplinary action was taken last month against SFI leaders for allegedly manhandling Vice-Chancellor Ciza Thomas and disrupting a syndicate meeting.
The activists had been protesting against the university administration in Kalady, alleging inadequate facilities at the institution.
On Friday, when John and Ernakulam MLA T J Vinod arrived at the hall where the convocation ceremony was being held, SFI activists raised placards against the minister, officials said.
In his speech, the state Higher Education Minister said students had the right to protest peacefully and democratically and that he welcomed such protests.
He said he had been involved in student politics and had led several protests during his college days. However, SFI activists soon gathered near the dais, demanding an explanation from him over the suspension of their leaders at the Sanskrit University, officials said.
When security personnel began removing the protesters, John said he was willing to explain the suspension after the convocation ceremony.
As the protest continued, he said the SFI agitation at Kalady had turned violent and that the government would not support such protests.
Following the remark, John left the venue after the police cleared the way for him. The activists followed him and continued to question him.
The SFI activists continued their protest until the convocation ceremony concluded, officials said.
College authorities said they would discuss the matter further before deciding on action against students involved in disrupting the convocation ceremony.
In a statement, the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) said VD Satheesan had condemned the SFI protest against John.
He said there was no justification for the SFI’s action and accused its activists of behaving like criminals and creating an atmosphere of fear on the campus.
Instead of expressing their protest in a democratic manner, the activists had resorted to hooliganism, the statement said.
The CMO statement said students and their parents had cherished the convocation ceremony for a long time and that the protest had disrupted what was one of the most important days in the students’ lives.
The SFI leadership should apologise to the public, students and their families for disrupting the ceremony, it said.
“Strict action will be taken against those who disrupted the convocation ceremony,” the statement added.
Electricity Minister and KPCC president Sunny Joseph said the incident was highly objectionable and condemnable, adding that such actions would not be allowed to turn campuses into centres of violence.
In a statement, he alleged that SFI activists had surrounded the minister on the stage and created a threatening atmosphere during the convocation ceremony.
He said the minister had politely offered to answer the students’ questions after his speech, but the activists had still rushed towards the dais, creating a tense situation.
“Violence and intolerance in the name of freedom of expression cannot be tolerated on campuses in Keralam,” Joseph said.
Revenue Minister AP Anilkumar, in a statement, described the incident as one of the worst instances of campus hooliganism witnessed in Keralam.
“Campuses should be spaces for discussion and criticism, not violence and intolerance,” he said.
He said there were several democratic ways to express dissent, but disrupting one of the most important days in students’ lives could not be considered a protest.
“What happened at Maharaja’s reflected the CPI(M)’s attitude that the college is its preserve and that only its diktats should prevail there,” he alleged.
(PTI News)
