CPM leaders slam minister, VC over denial of exam permission to students in Kalady University

Kochi: CPM general secretary M A Baby and party's state leadership on Sunday expressed solidarity with the ongoing agitation by students of Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit at Kalady near here, criticising the Keralam Higher Education Minister and the Vice-Chancellor over the suspension of 16 students and denial of permission to appear for their examinations.

Sixteen students were suspended after a Students' Federation of India (SFI)-led protest during a syndicate meeting on August 13 over a lack of adequate campus facilities.

They were accused of staging a "mock cremation" of Vice-Chancellor Ciza Thomas, manhandling her and attempting to damage university property.

A single bench of the Kerala High Court had directed the university to allow the students to appear for the examinations, but a division bench later stayed the order. The students then approached the Supreme Court, which directed the single bench to decide the matter.

The university said the suspension of 10 of the 16 students would be revoked if they apologised, but they refused.

CPM general secretary M A Baby told reporters that the government's stand that the matter should be decided by the court was an attempt to evade responsibility.

"My dear friend and Higher Education Minister Roji M John is turning a blind eye to the facts by saying that the court should decide the matter. The court had once directed that these students be allowed to write their examinations. The university then challenged that decision in an appeal. I am deeply saddened by the Higher Education Minister making statements that people can easily recognise as lacking honesty," he said.

Baby said the government had made a mistake and should be willing to correct it at the earliest opportunity once it became clear, without allowing ego to stand in the way.

He accused the Vice-Chancellor and the Higher Education Minister of being stubborn rather than resolving the issue.

He also questioned the Vice-Chancellor's conduct, saying a complaint alleging physical assault by students was filed only two days after the incident.

"How can the Vice-Chancellor act vindictively towards students and create a false narrative that students who have done nothing wrong committed offences?" he asked.

Referring to the students' symbolic protest, Baby said footage of the event was available and questioned whether a coffin had actually been used, suggesting it was a symbolic expression of their grievances over the lack of facilities.

Earlier, in a Facebook post after visiting the protest tent and interacting with the students on a hunger strike, Govindan said the agitation would not be called off with an apology alone.

"Everyone knows who has a history of apologising. The students' agitation will end only after all the expelled students have written their examinations," he said.

He alleged that the university's functioning had been disrupted because the Vice-Chancellor rarely visited the institution. Thomas had raised no complaint while the students were protesting, he said, but later filed a police case, in which the students secured bail.

Govindan alleged that the Governor's subsequent intervention had aggravated the situation and claimed that the developments were part of a planned RSS agenda.

Accusing the BJP and Chief Minister V D Satheesan of working towards the saffronisation of Kerala, he alleged that the two had supported each other during the Assembly elections as well.

Describing student agitations as "engines of social transformation", he said society would stand in solidarity with the students' protest.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Mathrubhumi and is published from a syndicated feed.)