THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A march taken out by Students Federation of India (SFI) workers to the Raj Bhavan in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday, to protest against the alleged attempts by Governor Arif Mohammed Khan to ‘saffronise’ the higher education sector in the state, turned violent.
Police used water canons to disperse the students who tried to scale the barricades erected on the road leading to the Raj Bhavan. A few SFI workers managed to jump over the barricades and reach close to the main gate of the Governor’s official residence.
However, the agitating students were prevented from entering the Raj Bhavan premises by the police. The SFI workers then sat on the road and raised slogans against Arif.
The Governor, who was not at the Raj Bhavan during the protest, entered the premises through another gate. The SFI workers were later arrested and removed by the police.
The Governor had recently rejected the Kerala University’s recommendations while choosing his nominees to the varsity senate.
The SFI alleged that most of the nominees were pro-right wing people and alleged it was an attempt by the Governor to ‘saffronise’ the state’s higher education sector.