A screengrab from the earlier pro-Palestine mime performance on October 3, 2025.
The pro-Palestine mime that was halted midway during a school arts festival at Kumbala Government Higher Secondary School in Kasaragod, Kerala, on October 3, 2025 returned to the stage and won the first prize on Monday (October 6, 2025), drawing loud applause from the audience.
The performance, presented by six students, was restaged after permission was granted to ensure compliance with the arts festival manual. Earlier, the mime was stopped over allegations of controversial political content. This time, the students performed without any political symbols or slogans, strictly adhering to guidelines.
The students, who initially wore keffiyehs (Arab headscarves), removed them before the performance began, reportedly following a directive to avoid political messaging. The act, focused purely on artistry, was met with an enthusiastic response from a packed audience.
Yuva Morcha alleges double standards
However, the restaging sparked protests from BJP Yuva Morcha activists, who marched to the school alleging political exploitation of students.
The outfit accused authorities of adopting “double standards”, claiming that while the police had acted swiftly for creating a floral arrangement, or pookalam, that included the words ‘Operation Sindoor’, in an different incident earlier, they were “silent” on this matter despite its political nature.
The Yuva Morcha demanded legal action against those responsible.
Published – October 06, 2025 03:28 pm IST
