Kerala - Kannur   

Left leaders not invited to university fete: SFI stages protest

Staff Reporter

KANNUR: Kannur University's decennial celebration on Saturday was marred by a controversy that had least to do with academic matters.

At the centre of the row was the alleged failure of the university authorities to invite the `local MLA,' M.V. Govindan, Taliparamba Assembly constituency, and Kannur University Union chairperson and Students Federation of India (SFI) leader K.V. Lekha to the function.

The decennial function, inaugurated by Governor R.L. Bhatia, was not disrupted by the protests staged by the SFI activists on the Mangattuparamba campus, though the activists shouted slogans and waved placards.

Ms. Lekha, for her part, went straight to the Governor sitting on the dais and submitted the complaint of the union.

According to the union, the university authorities had not invited to the programme the union chairperson and the MLA from the constituency in which the university is located. It also said that the university authorities' decision was influenced by their `political whims and fancies.'

The university in a press release said the participants in a function attended by the Governor were finalised as per protocol. The entire programme was finalised at the Governor's office and the university had no authority to change the programme.

The draft programme prepared by the university included many important persons, including the university union representatives, it said, adding that their names had been excluded from the programme following strict instruction that the number of people on the dais should be restricted to seven.

The university also clarified that K. Sudhakaran, Kannur MLA, was invited as he represented the constituency that is the headquarters of the university. M. Prakashan, MLA, was invited because the Mangattuparamba campus was in his constituency, Azhikode. A.P. Abdullakutty, MP, was also invited. (Mr. Abdullakutty and Mr. Prakashan apparently abstained from the function).

The crux of the university's clarification is that it only followed the procedure adopted during earlier functions when previous Governors attended.

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