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CPM red-faced after cops seize blank answer sheets, fake seals from SFI leader
The seizure of the blank answer sheets and fake seals could be the tip of an iceberg after it emerged that the accused was a first rank holder in the Kerala Public Service Commission examination rank list for civil police officers last year
The seizure of blank answer sheets and fake seals from the house of a Students Federation of India (SFI) leader who is the main accused in stabbing a student in Thiruvananthapuram’s University College has opened a can of worms with Governor P Sathasivam seeking a report from the Kerala University Vice-Chancellor.
The police raided the house Siva Ranjith, who is also unit president of the SFI, on Monday and found several bundles of answer sheets and fake seals after he was named the main accused in the stabbing of a final-year degree student Akhil Chandran (22) on the college campus on Friday. The SFI is the students’ wing of the ruling CPI (M).
“Sought an urgent report from Kerala University V-C on the reported seizure of bundles of exam answer sheets and seal of the director of physical education from the house of an accused in the murder attempt case,” the Governor, also chancellor of the university, tweeted.
The police also seized daggers, knives and iron pipes from the SFI’s college unit office. Out of 16 accused six have been arrested, police said. They said Chandran has come out of danger. As the issue snowballed, a red-faced government disowned the student leaders.
“It should not have happened in an educational institute,” chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said while condemning the incident. But state opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala said these “criminals were working with the tacit support of the ruling party.”
The discovery of the blank answer sheets and fake seals could be the tip of an iceberg after it emerged that Ranjith was a first rank holder in the Kerala Public Service Commission examination rank list for civil police officers last year. Two other accused also made it to the rank list.
An embarrassed KPSC froze the results of these three and ordered a vigilance probe. Ranjith reportedly got into the rank list in the sports quota but the state archery federation said it has no idea about him and it never issued an archery champion certificate to him. One of the three accused A N Nazeem had been charged with attacking three policemen last year.
Embarrassed by the revelations, the SFI suspended all accused from the party and dissolved the college unit after Friday’s stabbing. SFI all-India president V P Sanu said the party will never protect cadres who indulge in violence. He also tendered an apology and vowed to purge his organisation.
The SFI which has a stranglehold in colleges in Kerala, has hardly allowed the students’ wings of any other parties to get a toehold. Two months ago a college girl had tried to commit suicide on campus alleging she was forced to participate in rallies and protests by SFI leaders. Though she named a few leaders in her suicide note, no action was taken against them. She later took admission in another college.
The AISF (All India Student Federation), the students’ wing of the CPI, also said it was not allowed to function at the University College.
“Once I went there to organise students and SFI leaders attacked and stripped me. I had to hide in a corner for hours,” said AISF leader Arun Babu. “The SFI has been reduced to a Fascist outfit and CPI (M) will have to pay a heavy price for it.”
