THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The brewing unrest among students following the death of engineering aspirant Jishnu Pranoy broke the stream barriers and reached the Kerala Law Academy Law College on Friday. The college was closed down indefinitely following a joint strike by students’ unions for denying them opportunity to protest against the death of Jishnu. But the students strike had a private angle too to it.
The representatives of KSU, AISF and MSF in a joint press meet alleged principal Lekshmi Nair denied the permission to protest knowing that they would expose the management practices before students. They also alleged that the principal - who anchors a cookery show - devotes more time to her television programme than running the college.
“The principal initially gave us permission to address students in the class. But later she changed her mind and decided to stop classes. The academy is not running as per the norms and students are at the receving end,” said Vivek V J of AISF. The unions al s o alleged the principal had been harassing students who opposed to her. “The principal uses her discretion in awarding internal marks and attendance. Twenty one students h av e l o s t their valuable academic year due to this,” said Naimathulla of MSF. Students accused Lekshmi of running the institution through her relatives and threatening students and staff using goons.
Meanwhile, Lekshmi has refuted the allegations. “I am present in the college. I go for the shoot during weekends or on holidays. Most of the students who are protesting do not have attendance mandated by the university and many have failed in multiple papers,” she said. Lekshmi said she decided to close down the college as students’ unions wanted to harass her. “Unions have threatened me, my son and his fiance who is studying in the college,” she said.