Thalassery: In a dramatic turn of events in Thalassery, Kerala, the police have booked over 50 CPI(M) workers for allegedly locking up officers and forcibly releasing an accused party member from custody on Thursday. The accused CPI(M) worker was wanted in connection with the assault of four police officers during a temple festival clash between BJP and CPI(M) activists.

According to Thalassery Police, tensions erupted at the festival, leading to violent clashes. Police personnel attempting to control the situation were attacked by CPI(M) activists, and 27 party members were named in the assault case. The situation escalated further on Thursday afternoon when officers attempted to detain one of the accused, only to be confronted by a large group of CPI(M) supporters. The police were reportedly locked inside a room, while the accused was forcibly freed from custody.

Meanwhile, in an unrelated event, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurated the National Convention on the Draft UGC Regulations of 2025 on Thursday. Expressing strong opposition, he warned that the new regulations threaten university autonomy and centralize higher education, undermining federal values.

"These regulations threaten the autonomy of universities and aim to centralise higher education, undermining federal values. Academic freedom must be protected," CM Vijayan stated in a post on X.

The Draft UGC Regulations 2025, released by Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on January 6, 2025, have drawn criticism from several state governments, including Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana, who view them as an attack on federalism. Kerala Higher Education Minister R. Bindu, along with leaders from multiple political organizations, participated in the convention, voicing concerns over state universities losing autonomy to the central government.

With political tensions rising over both law enforcement and education policies, Kerala remains at the forefront of debates on governance, federalism, and law enforcement autonomy.

(With ANI input)