Date:23/07/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/07/23/stories/2008072356230600.htm

Kerala - Kozhikode

SFI activists lock up teachers

Staff Reporter

Kozhikode: Seven teachers of the Department of Physics of St. Joseph’s College, Devagiri here, were locked up in a room by Students’ Federation of India (SFI) activists on Tuesday alleging that nominations of some of their candidates for the college union elections were not accepted and sent for scrutiny by the college election authorities.

The election is due on July 28. The college council will meet on Wednesday to discuss the incidents related to the election.

According to teachers, students were allowed to file their nominations till 12 noon and those who were in the queue were given tokens and their nominations accepted till 12.40 p.m. However, a section of them (SFI candidates) came after 12.40 p.m. and they could not be entertained. These students, the teachers said, marched to the venues where scrutiny was held violating the election code of conduct.

A meeting of all students’ organisations was held at 3.30 p.m. and the Kerala Students Union, Muslim Students’ Federation and the Akhil Bharatiya Vidhyarti Parishad did not agree to accept the nomination of candidates who came late. The teachers said that they could not entertain the nominations. By 4.15 p.m., the teachers were locked up in a room by the SFI activists.