1 hr ago
Pinarayi Vijayan Accuses UDF Government of Suppressing SFI Protests
SFI students protested after the full version of Vande Mataram was sung at a university event.
The event was attended by the governor and the higher education minister.
Protesters said police used water cannons and batons to break up the demonstration.
Two women students were reportedly hurt and taken to a hospital.
Pinarayi Vijayan visited the injured students and criticized the government and police.
He said the police action was too harsh and could make more people protest.
The government’s stated defense was that Central protocol requires the song at certain official events.
The disagreement is also about whether the full song should be sung or only the two stanzas associated with the Constituent Assembly’s convention.
SFI activists protested the singing of the full version of Vande Mataram at a National Sports Day event in Thiruvananthapuram.
Protesters said police used water cannons and later a lathicharge to disperse them, injuring two women activists.
Pinarayi Vijayan alleged that male officers brutally attacked female students and that harsh charges, including attempted murder, were filed.
An SFI march against the alleged lathicharge also turned violent, while Vijayan warned that repression could trigger larger protests.
V D Satheesan defended the full rendition, saying official events attended by senior constitutional authorities must follow Central protocol.
- Who
- CPI(M) leader Pinarayi Vijayan, SFI activists, the UDF government, police, Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar and Higher Education Minister Roji M John.
- What
- A dispute over police action against SFI protests concerning the rendition of the full version of Vande Mataram.
- Where
- A university in Thiruvananthapuram, Keralam, and the surrounding protest site.
- When
- The university event and initial police action occurred on Tuesday; an SFI protest march took place on Wednesday, and Vijayan visited injured students on Thursday.
- Why
- SFI opposed the full rendition of Vande Mataram, while the government said Central protocol applied at events attended by senior constitutional authorities.
Critics of the Police Action
Government’s Protocol Defense
Use of force
Critics of the Police Action
Pinarayi Vijayan and SFI leaders alleged that police used excessive force, including a brutal lathicharge on female students, causing injuries.
Government’s Protocol Defense
The articles report the protesters’ account of the police response but do not provide a detailed police justification for the use of force.
Treatment of protests
Critics of the Police Action
Vijayan said the government was creating a police state, using harsh legal provisions and attempting to suppress demonstrations.
Government’s Protocol Defense
Vijayan’s opponents are represented in the report by the government’s position that the event followed Central protocol; the articles do not include a direct response to his broader repression allegations.
Rendition of Vande Mataram
Critics of the Police Action
Vijayan said the Constituent Assembly convention supported singing only two stanzas and criticized a full rendition he compared with RSS platforms.
Government’s Protocol Defense
V D Satheesan defended the full version, saying the state government was bound to follow Central protocol at events attended by the President, Vice-President or Prime Minister.
Key facts
- Protesting organisation
- Students’ Federation of India (SFI)
- Trigger for protest
- The full version of Vande Mataram was sung at National Sports Day celebrations.
- Police response
- Protesters said police used water cannons followed by a lathicharge.
- Reported injuries
- Two women activists reportedly suffered facial and head injuries and were taken to hospital.
- Vijayan’s allegation
- He accused the UDF government of suppressing protests and described the police action as brutal.
- Legal allegation
- Vijayan said protesters faced serious charges, including attempt to murder.
- Government defense
- V D Satheesan said Central protocol requires the full rendition at events attended by the President, Vice-President or Prime Minister.
Quotes
Pinarayi Vijayan
CPI(M) leader and former Kerala chief minister
“It is best that this does not continue. However, we cannot normally expect the Keralam government to adopt such a stance. In recent days, we saw how the Central Government handled student protesters. If that involved severe aggression, the UDF government in Keralam is moving along a similar path.”
theprint.in
“When Vande Mataram was sung inside the university in the same manner as on RSS platforms, student protests naturally followed. If students don’t protest against such things, are they even students? Isn’t that natural? That is what needs to be rectified.”
theprint.in
Sources
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