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College shut after prof, student leader stabbed in Kochi
Police said both SFI and Fraternity Movement members have given complaints against each other on the basis of which cases have been registered
A prominent government autonomous college in Kochi was shut down indefinitely on Thursday following the stabbing of a faculty member and a student in separate incidents on the campus, officials familiar with the matter said.
The incidents of violence occurred in the span of a few hours at the Maharaja’s College, an institution located in the heart of Kochi known for its frenetic campus politics and academic rigour.
An officer at the Ernakulam Central police station, where multiple cases have been registered, said Abdul Nasser, the unit secretary of the Students Federation of India (SFI), was stabbed allegedly by members of the Fraternity Movement around 1 am on Thursday near the hostel premises. SFI is the student wing of the CPI(M).
Nasser was rushed first to a government hospital and then to a private hospital in the city where he is under treatment. His condition is said to be stable.
Hours earlier, on Wednesday, Assistant Professor Nizamudheen KM of the Department of Arabic was stabbed with a sharp weapon within the college premises allegedly by a student who also belongs to the Fraternity Movement. The professor was suspected to be attacked for his bias towards SFI and its members.
“Both SFI and Fraternity Movement members have given complaints against each other on the basis of which cases have been registered. In both cases, section 307 (attempt to murder) and section 308 (attempt to commit culpable homicide) have been used among other charges. The students involved and the professor are under treatment and their statements are being taken,” said the police officer.
“No arrests have been made and the investigation is going on to find out what exactly happened and the reasons behind the incidents of stabbing,” the officer said.
The officer added that a skirmish was also reported on the premises of the government hospital between the students of both parties and a case has been registered on the basis of the duty doctor’s complaint.
Dr VS Joy, principal of the college, said, “Following the incidents of violence, the governing body council was convened today to assess the situation and a decision was taken to shut down the college and the hostel indefinitely. Let the police investigation take place on the reasons behind the violence.”
Maharajas College has a chequered history of political violence which reached a high in July 2018 when Abhimanyu, a second-year B.Sc Chemistry student and a member of the SFI, was stabbed to death within the college premises allegedly by members of Campus Front, the student wing of now-banned PFI.
