The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : Clashes waiting to happen on campuses

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Oct 31, 2007
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Kerala

Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Clashes waiting to happen on campuses

G. Anand

In many colleges, activists of CF, SFI are at loggerheads

Country bombs, swords stocked in colleges: police
But police are yet to conduct searches for them

Thiruvananthapuram: A tense stand-off prevails between the Left-wing Students Federation of India (SFI) activists and the National Development Front (NDF) backed Campus Front (CF) workers in at least four colleges in the district, according to police sources.

Interference of outside elements has caused campus feuds between the cadre-based student organisations to spill over into the streets.

Arguably, the worst manifestation of campus violence in the district this year occurred at Mannaniya College on October 9. Eleven persons were injured in an armed clash triggered by a dispute between SFI and CF activists over the destruction of party symbols erected on the campus.

Most of the injured were Left Democratic Front workers, well past the age of college students. NDF activists are the main suspects in the case. Elections are due in several colleges and CF candidates are expected to contest in most campuses. Some police officials fear that this could result in more violence.

Police sources said country bombs, swords, sticks and petrol (for making incendiary devices) are being stock-piled in and around certain colleges. However, the police are yet to conduct searches for arms and explosives in colleges. A senior official feels searches could be conducted unobtrusively after class hours. The death of a policeman in campus violence in Changanassery has made it necessary for law enforcers to extend checks also to areas adjoining violence prone campuses.

CF’s version

CF district president M. Nizarudin says the SFI had attacked its activists in University, Mannaniya and Peringanmala Iqbal colleges. “Once, it was for distributing pamphlets against the practice of intimidating freshers. The SFI is denying us democratic freedom in colleges and running a campaign of physical violence against us. We are a secular student movement,” he said.

The SFI is enraged the CF had won a seat in Mannaniya College elections and that it had moved the High Court last year for a free and fair election in University College, an SFI bastion.

SFI counters it

SFI district secretary Kiran Dev said the CF is attempting to create a communal divide in the student community. He said CF activists often used campuses to disseminate divisive propaganda. He said SFI workers had been attacked wherever they posed a secular and democratic opposition to the CF.

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