Seven injured in ABVP-SFI clashes

By Our Staff Reporter

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, OCT. 13. As many as seven persons were injured when more than 50 Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and Students Federation of India (SFI) activists armed with swords, iron pipes and wooden rafters clashed inside the Kerala University Senate Hall premises this afternoon.

The violence broke out immediately after the voting to elect the student representatives to the Senate of the Kerala University concluded at around 1 p.m. Police said an altercation took place between the M.G. College chairman and ABVP activist, Mr. Ajith Kumar, and some SFI activists near the portico of the Senate Hall, over the alleged false voting by an SFI activist. The altercation soon led to fisticuffs and ABVP as well as SFI activists who were standing near the portico joined the fray. The violence lasted for about 20 minutes till the clashing groups were separated by the police.

Those injured in the melee include, Mr. Ajith Kumar, the ABVP councillor from Adoor St. Cyril's College, Mr. Jayakanth, ABVP Jilla Pramukh, Mr. P.V. Rajesh, ABVP Thiruvananthapuram Nagar organising secretary, Mr. Kashinath, Mr. Santhosh and Mr. R.K. Praveen. The injured ABVP activists were admitted to the Medical College Hospital.

Police said an SFI activist, Mr. Sajeesh, was injured in the arm. He was admitted to the Medical College Hospital with a severed artery.

At the time of the incident, the bulk of the police force was deployed near the rear entrance of the Senate Hall where stand offs usually occur between rival student groups after the Senate elections. There were only a handful of policemen near the portico during the time of the clash.

They were soon joined by a team of men led by the Cantonment (SI), Mr. Biju, who separated the clashing groups and confiscated their weapons which included a sword, several iron pipes and wooden rafters with nails on them.

A tense situation is prevailing in the Senate Hall, University College, Student's Centre area with police expecting retaliatory attacks from the student unions.

Police pickets have been posted in front of the University College, the Student's Centre and also before the city offices of the SFI and the ABVP. Policemen have also been deployed near the CPI(M)'s reception committee office for the Special Party Congress to be held in the city in October last.

In a statement here, the ABVP has accused the police of remaining a mute witness as SFI activists attacked their party colleagues. The ABVP has warned the SFI against resorting to strong arm methods to quell the democratic opposition in the Senate.

Meanwhile, the police have registered cases of rioting, inflicting injury and violation of the Arms Act against SFI as well as ABVP workers. So far, none has been arrested in this connection.

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