Kerala - Pathanamthitta   

SFI strike hits functioning of schools, colleges

Staff Reporter

Government accused of misusing police force

NO GIVING UP: Students Federation of India activists staging a sit-in on Thiruvalla-Kumbazha Road in front of the Mini Civil Station in Pathanamthitta on Tuesday, protesting against Monday's police action on them.

PATHANAMTHITTA: The functioning of educational institutions, including professional colleges and self-financing institutions, in Pathanamthitta district was affected on Tuesday, following the Students Federation of India (SFI) call to boycott classes, protesting against the police action on SFI activists who took out a march in the town on Monday,

The SFI workers staged protest marches and organised road blockades in Pathanamthitta, Thiruvalla, Kozhencherry, Mallappally, Ranni, Konni, Adoor, Pandalam, Chittar, Seethathode and Eraviperoor in the morning.

The protestors staged a sit-in on the Thiruvalla-Kumbazha Road in front of the Mini Civil Station in Pathanamthitta, shouting slogans condemning the alleged police excesses.

Plea for probe

Democratic Youth Federation of India State joint secretary R. Sanalkumar inaugurated the protest meeting. In his inaugural address, Mr. Sanalkumar called for an inquiry into the alleged police excesses on Monday and suspension of the personnel allegedly responsible for whatever untoward incident had occurred in connection with the march.

He alleged that the Government was misusing police machinery to protect self-financing college managements.

The Left parties would intensify the ongoing agitation, if the Government continued to support the "anti-people" attitude of the self-financing college managements, he said.

The police have made elaborate security arrangements in the district in the wake of the strike call by the Left parties as well as their student and youth wing organisations.

District Superintendent of Police T.P. Rajagopal said that an additional platoon of Kerala Armed Police was sent to Pathanamthitta from Kollam for deployment in vulnerable pockets of the district.

Meanwhile, a minor attack on the house of Sub-Inspector Rajmohan who led Monday's police action, was reported from Ullannor, near Pandalam, last night.

Condemning the police action, CPI district secretary Mundappally Thomas and assistant secretary P. Prasad alleged that the Government had transformed the police into a protective umbrella of self-financing managements and other "anti-people" forces in the State. Revolutionary Youth Front (RYF) State secretary Saleem P. Chacko condemned the police action on the SFI activists in Pathanamthitta.

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