2 days ago
Violence marks ‘Partition horrors day'
Following Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar's directive to universities, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the student wing of the Bharatiya Janata Party, organised 'Partition horror day' on Thursday on a few campuses in Kerala, leading to clashes with the Students' Federation of India (SFI), the student wing of the CPI(M), in some places.
The State government had on Wednesday issued a directive to the universities and colleges against organising any events related to the day on campuses citing the possibility of disturbance of communal harmony.
The ABVP organised events at the Central University of Kerala (CUK) in Kasaragod, Government College, Kasaragod, Govinda Pai Memorial Government College, Manjeswaram, on the Calicut University campus at Tenhipalam, and at VTM NSS College at Dhanuvachapuram in Thiruvananthapuram. While the event held at the VTM NSS College went peacefully, SFI activists turned up in big numbers to resist the event organised at the Government College at Kasaragod. The SFI activists tore down the posters put up by ABVP, leading to clashes between the two groups, before the police intervened to stop them.
The SFI also burned the Governor in effigy outside the college campus. Later, the ABVP attempted to again put up the posters on the college campus, when activists of the Muslim Students Federation (MSF), the student outfit of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), attempted to resist the move.
On the Calicut University campus, the pro-Sangh Calicut University Employees' Centre attempted to hold an event to mark the day. However, activists of the SFI, Kerala Students Union (KSU), and the MSF tried to prevent them. This led to clashes and raising of slogans between the two groups. A large posse of police personnel, who were present on the campus, removed the student activists from the place to avert further trouble.
At the Government Law College, Kozhikode, it was the ABVP which tried to conduct a programme outside the campus. However, since they had not taken permission to hold the event outside, the police took the activists into custody. Activists of the SFI, KSU and the MSF, meanwhile, raised slogans against them.
Skirmishes were also reported from the CUK in Kasaragod.
The ABVP, in a statement, claimed to have organised related events at the Institute of Human Resources Development (IHRD) College at Kumbala and the Chendayad MG College in Kannur.
At the Cochin University of Science and Technology (Cusat), an online seminar was held as part of the observance of the day with G. Gopakumar, former Vice-Chancellor of the CUK, delivering an address. Cusat Vice-Chancellor M. Junaid Bushiri attended.
SFI State secretary said the very fact that it was organised in a surreptitious manner exposes the fact that the organisers were convinced that the event was unacceptable to society and would have invited stiff opposition.
(with inputs from Kozhikode and Kannur bureaus)
