THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a case of suspected moral policing, nine second year BA Arabic students were injured after they were roughed up allegedly by SFI activists at University College on Thursday. According to police, the incident began after SFI activists allegedly objected to a couple of male students sitting with girl classmates in the lecture hall, and asked them to leave.
However, some students refused to heed to this demand which led to an altercation. BA Arabic students - Faizal, Muhammed Ashiq, Sanjid Mon, Thoufeeq, Akbar Ali,Aseem, Anas, Asif and Jawael - were injured in the attack. Faizal was admitted to the General Hospital. Faizal told ‘Express’ that SFI activists had barged into the lecture hall and asked the male students who weresitting with female classmates as the part of a combined study prior to the semesterexamination, to leave the hall.“As some students refused to comply, SFI activists threatened them which led to an altercation,” said Faizal. Later after the examination, though the BA Arabic students were accompanied outside the college by lecturers, SFI workers who came to the college is a procession wielding bamboo sticks, were alleged to have attacked them resulting in nine students being injured.
The SFI activists fled from the scene when the police arrived, added Faizal. Meanwhile, SFI has alleged that its activists were attacked by persons affiliated to the National Democratic Front (NDF). SFI senior leader Balamurali said that the SFI activists were attacked without any provocation.