Thiruvananthapuram: Everyone had a different reason to celebrate when the Law Academy Law College here reopened on Monday after the 29-day strike. For some it was the joy of being part of a successful students’ agitation while for some others, it was a respite of sorts that the classes have resumed without affecting the learning process further. Students danced and made merry on the campus chanting altered versions of slogans they had raised during the agitation.
Vattiyoorkkav MLA K. Muraleedharan, who staged a hunger strike supporting the protest, treated the students with sumptuous lunch at his residence.
CPM state Secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan organised an explanation meeting on the LDF government’s role in the strike in front of the Academy in the evening.
“We feared that that the strike wills last at least a month more towards the final weeks of the struggle,” said Gayathri S, a student. “Now, we feel good that we are back to studies.” K. Anil Kumar, another student, expressed happiness in the victory against the draconian rules on the campus. “Various unions here might have participated the in struggle with clear political gains,” he said. “But for us students, this was one of the most genuine fights we have given.”
As per the agreement the management has entered into with the government and students, P. Lakshmi Nair will be replaced with a new principal. The students had staged the strike with a slew of demands including removal of CCTVs from a few locations on the campus and an end to favouritism in awarding internal marks. There were allegations of the principal hurling casteist slur against students, too. The illegal possession of government land by the management was also raised during the course of the agitation, which the government has been inquiring into now.
