Four persons, including a woman were injured on Wednesday during a clash between two student outfits, Kerala Students Union (KSU) and Students Federation of India (SFI) on the campus of Government Law College in the state capital.
KSU is the student outfit of the Congress and SFI is student wing of the ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist).
Later, the KSU also released a video of the attack in which male students could be seen showering blows and dragging the KSU unit president Safna Yakub to the road. “They brutally attacked me and dragged me to the road. CPI(M) leaders always talk big about women freedom and empowerment. Is this the way to treat a woman activist? It is disgusting,” said Yakub. The issue figured in the state assembly and Parliament also. Congress MP Hibi Eden raised the issue in Lok Sabha and sought a reply from the CPI(M) national leaders.
Police said a clash between two rival organisations in connection with the college union inauguration snowballed into a big clash at the law college, leaving four students injured. They said two cases were registered under different Sections of the Indian Penal Code in connection with the clashes.
During the assembly session, chief minister(CM) Pinarayi Vijayan and Opposition leader V D Satheesan were involved in a heated argument over the issue, with the latter accusing the CM of downplaying the issue. Later, the Opposition staged a walkout from the House.
{{/usCountry}}During the assembly session, chief minister(CM) Pinarayi Vijayan and Opposition leader V D Satheesan were involved in a heated argument over the issue, with the latter accusing the CM of downplaying the issue. Later, the Opposition staged a walkout from the House.
{{/usCountry}}“The CM is giving a free licence to the SFI to attack political opponents. Police were present in the college during the attack and they remained spectators. A woman leader and three other KSU activists were attacked brutally and the CM was justifying it,” said the Opposition leader. He later called on the injured at the hospital.
The SFI, however, alleged that the woman leader was shielding trouble makers during a function of the union and denied any role in attacking her. CPI(M) women leaders are yet to react over this. “The SFI must erase independence, democracy and socialism from its flag and replace it with goondaism, terror and fascism,” tweeted the National Students Union later.
Minister of state for external affairs V Muraleedharan also condemned the attack on woman activist. “SFI in Kerala has been attacking rival student unions with the help of the CPI(M) Govt in Kerala. Attack on KSU workers is the latest example. Kerala Congress that has jumped to criticize Yogi Adityanath for pointing out this fact, must answer whether they hold the same view now?” he tweeted.