Kerala Opposition Leader VD Satheesan Accuses CM Pinarayi Vijayan of Supporting Campus Violence
Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], July 4: VD Satheesan, the Leader of Opposition in the Kerala Assembly, has accused Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan of providing political support to the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) activists involved in campus violence. This accusation follows a recent clash at Kerala University’s Kariavattom campus, where Kerala Students Union (KSU) leader San Jose was allegedly attacked by SFI members.
Satheesan claimed that SFI, the student wing of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)), has been committing atrocities against students from other organizations. He alleged that SFI controls ‘dark rooms’ in almost all college campuses in Kerala, where they torture students who oppose them. Satheesan, representing Paravur Assembly Constituency in Ernakulam District, stated that the Chief Minister is politically protecting these criminals.
Earlier, the Opposition raised the Kariavattom campus incident in the Assembly, seeking an adjournment motion. The KSU alleged that SFI members attacked KSU district leader San Jose inside the Kerala University campus on Tuesday night. Congress MLAs, including M Vincent, moved the adjournment motion notice, but the Chief Minister rejected it, stating that campus conflicts are undesirable and should be condemned. He defended SFI as a longstanding organization with a proud history, unlike KSU, which he claimed had declined in influence.
Chief Minister Vijayan also mentioned 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 challenged KSU to provide a similar history. The Speaker, A N Shamseer, rejected the motion to adjourn the house.
In the Assembly, Satheesan accused the Chief Minister of issuing licenses for violence through his statements. He criticized the Chief Minister’s response to the recent incidents, stating that criminals are creating dungeons on campuses with no control. Vincent added that every college has ‘dungeons for SFI’ and alleged that San Jose was forced to write a statement saying he had no complaint, with police officers standing by during the assault.
Due to the heated debate, the Assembly was adjourned for the day. On Wednesday, Kerala University Vice Chancellor Mohan Kunnummal instructed the Registrar to investigate the alleged assault on KSU Thiruvananthapuram District General Secretary Sam Jose and submit a report within 48 hours. Following the incident, KSU activists protested at the Sreekaryam police station, demanding action. Police registered a case against UDF MLAs Chandy Oommen and M Vincent, other KSU activists, and SFI members accused in the complaint filed by Sam Jose.
