KOCHI: Fraternity Movement state general secretary Pradeep Nenmara alleged the SFI-DYFI goons were instigating violence against students of Cochin University of Science and Technology (Cusat) with the help of the police. He was addressing a people’s rally taken out to the Kalamassery Police Station on Tuesday in protest against the police action on the Cusat students. The police had on Monday arrested 18 students in connection with the outbreak of campus violence recently.
He criticised the SFI for triggering conflict among students with hidden agenda in mind. He alleged on the day when violence broke out on the campus, the SFI activists attacked the students by barging into the hostels. He said they also tried to harm the students who appeared before the inquiry panel on Monday to give their statements. “The students who gave statements were arrested after charging non-bailable offence on the same day,” he said. Pradeep also called for legal action and urged a joint move by students to fight against these attacks. After the march, Pradeep visited the police station and met the students who are under police custody. District general secretary Rizwan Peringala and secretary Amjad Edathala also accompanied him.
SFI refutes allegations
Meanwhile, SFI Kalamassery area secretary P P Jibin dismissed the allegations against them, stating they were not trying to create any issue on the campus. He alleged the students belonging to ‘Malabari’ group were into anti-social activities and his party acted against it, which led to the rift among them. According to him, other students’ groups, including Fraternity Movement, MSF and KSU, are supporting the ‘Malabri’ group to jointly attack SFI. He said the police had arrested 23 SFI members on Friday in connection with the violence on the campus, which indicates the officers were not taking any side.