KOTTAYAM: A year after Left parties, especially the CPM and its allies, organised a string of protests across the country demanding justice to Rohit Vemula, a Dalit research scholar at the University of Hyderabad, who committed suicide alleging caste discrimination, the Students’ Federation of India (SFI), the students’ wing of the CPM, is in the dock for allegedly attacking a Dalit student at Mahatma Gandhi University in Kottayam.
Vivek Kumaran, an M Phil student in Gandhian Studies from Kalady, was admitted to the Government Medical College (GMC) hospital after being beaten up allegedly by a group of SFI activists on MG University campus. While Rohit Vemula was suspended for his participation in the agitation led by Ambedkar Students Association (ASA), Vivek said he was targeted for sympathising with the thoughts of Ambedkar.
According to Vivek, he was beaten up by SFI activists on Tuesday night, a day after he delivered a talk on the ‘Politics of queer communities’, at a programme held on the campus. “They attacked me alleging that I was trying to turn the students against SFI. They even warned me of dire consequences claiming that none will ask if I was killed. Though, I don’t smoke, they said I was distributing ganja to the students. They also called me by my caste name,” he said.
Refuting the allegations, SFI state president Jaick C Thomas claimed that the activists had only questioned Vivek for distributing ganja on the campus.
“The University Students’ Union and the SFI had received several complaints against Vivek, alleging that he was distributing ganja among students. As a functionary of the University Union, Shyamlal and SFI activists went to his room and spoke to him. Though, it led to a clash, Vivek was not beaten up,” he said.
However, the issue has stirred an outrage in the social media with many netizens demanding action against attack on Dalits.