Kerala Assembly Sees Heated Debate Over Campus Violence

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Opposition Leader VD Satheesan Face Off

The Kerala Assembly in Thiruvananthapuram witnessed a heated exchange between Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Leader of the Opposition VD Satheesan. The debate centered around recent clashes between student union members of the Communist Party of India (CPI-M) and the Congress parties, specifically the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) and the Kerala Students Union (KSU).

The KSU accused SFI members of attacking KSU district leader San Jose at the Kerala University campus in Karyavattom. Congress MLAs, including M Vincent, moved an adjournment motion notice, which was rejected by the Chief Minister. Vijayan condemned campus conflicts and defended the SFI, describing it as a longstanding organization with a proud history.

Vijayan also mentioned past incidents, including a bomb attack on the AKG centre and the defacement of a Mahatma Gandhi portrait at the Congress office in Wayanad. He alleged that 35 people were killed for being SFI members and accused the Congress of spreading propaganda against the Left party.

Opposition leader VD Satheesan accused the Chief Minister of protecting campus violence and criticized his statements. Vincent alleged that SFI members forced San Jose to write a statement saying he had no complaint and that police officers stood by during the assault.

Due to the uproar, the Assembly was adjourned for the day. On Wednesday, Kerala University Vice Chancellor Mohan Kunnummal instructed the Registrar to investigate the alleged assault and submit a report within 48 hours. Police registered a case against UDF MLAs Chandy Oommen and M Vincent, as well as other KSU and SFI members involved in the incident.