SFI, ABVP make Mahatma Gandhi College a war zone

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Several student activists suffered minor injuries in SFI-ABVP clashes at MG College here on Tuesday. The clashes occurred over SFI’s attempts to enhance student politics in the campus, which has been a strong ABVP-turf over the past many years. SFI called for a statewide protest at all educational institutions across the state on Wednesday in protest against today’s incident. The police fired teargas shells and used water cannons to disperse the mob. Five SFI activists, including district secretary Prateesh Krishna, suffered minor injuries. Three persons were admitted at the Medical College hospital.

A large number of SFI activists of the college, including women, marched to the college on Monday morning and put up party flags inside the campus. Agitated over this, ABVP students pelted stones at the SFI activists. Subsequently more SFI activists, who were not students of the college, tried to barge into the college campus. The police who were less in numbers could not control them.  Some SFI activists suffered injuries when they fell while trying to climb the college gate to erect flags.

Later, more police rushed to the spot and chased the activists using lathis, grenades and water cannons. Senior police officers including city police commissioner Sparjan Kumar also reached the spot to review the situation. There were allegations that the police failed to take adequate precautionary measures though tension was prevailing for days. Police sources said that student politics in the campus was banned by the court earlier.  Hence the ABVP and SFI were organising their activities outside the campus.