Kerala University witnessed unprecedented scenes on Tuesday (July 8, 2025) as activists of the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) stormed the university headquarters, escalating the ongoing standoff between the Governor and Vice-Chancellor on one side, and the University Syndicate and Registrar on the other.
The demonstrators accused Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar of attempting to “saffronise” higher education at the behest of the Sangh Parivar.
In a major security breach, hundreds of SFI activists broke into the campus, bypassing police barricades and scaling walls, even as a sizeable police contingent stood by. Efforts to disperse the protest outside the main gates failed despite the use of water cannons.
Other districts
The demonstration was part of a Statewide protest announced by SFI. Similar scenes were witnessed at Calicut, Kannur and Mahatma Gandhi Universities earlier in the day.
Clashes erupted between the protesters and the police, with some activists reportedly snatching lathis from the law enforcers. The protesters quickly reached the administrative block, which appeared inadequately guarded. Dozens climbed the staircase towards the first floor, but were blocked from entering the passage leading to the office of the Vice-Chancellor and the Syndicate Room.
Interim Vice-Chancellor Ciza Thomas, officiating in the absence of Vice-Chancellor in-charge Mohanan Kunnummal, was not present at the time. Registrar K.S. Anil Kumar, whose recent suspension under controversial circumstances has fuelled the current crisis, reported for duty. Several university officials were stranded in their offices during the unrest.
After nearly 90 minutes of chaos, additional police forces arrived to evict the protesters. SFI State secretary P.S. Sanjeev was among those painstakingly removed from the premises, while some activists required medical assistance due to uneasiness.
The remaining protesters later regrouped at the main entrance to launch a sit-in as they chanted “This agitation is for democracy and our right to study. No attempt to implement the RSS agenda will be tolerated”.
Govindan visits campus
CPI(M) State secretary M.V. Govindan visited the campus and expressed solidarity with the students. “Agitations will continue against undemocratic practices in educational institutions. Vice-Chancellors and Pro Vice-Chancellors must be allowed to function in a democratic atmosphere,” he said.
SFI State president M. Sivaprasad said the organisation will expand its protest to other places including the Raj Bhavan in the coming days.
Meanwhile, the Democratic Youth Federation of India, another CPI(M)-affiliated organisation, has announced that it will take out a protest to Kerala University on Thursday. Security is likely to be heightened ahead of the return of Dr. Kunnummal from a brief visit to Russia.
Published – July 08, 2025 03:58 pm IST
