THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Drawing flak in the fake certificate issue, the SFI on Tuesday expelled Nikhil Thomas from the organisation.
Terming the action by Nikhil unbecoming of an SFI worker, the organisation said he had tried to mislead the organisation with his explanation. He has become part of a big mafia involved in forging certificates and observed the organisation. The SFI action against Nikhil has proven right in the media reports in this regard.
“When allegations came up against former SFI Kayamkulam area secretary Nikhil Thomas in connection with his degree certificate, he was kept away from all activities of the organisation. Later, an explanation was sought from him. However, he tried to completely mislead the organisation through his explanation,” said SFI state president K Anusree and secretary P M Arsho in a statement.
Of the certificates furnished by Nikhil, the SFI had the scope of verifying the genuineness of only the eligibility certificate issued by the University of Kerala. This was verified and proven to be correct, the SFI stated.
“However, the SFI shared its concerns over how Nikhil was able to do a regular course at Kalinga University. The only option left before SFI was to file an RTI application before the University. As per reports that came out later, it became clear that he was never a student of Kalinga University,” said SFI.
Governor laments ‘collapse’ of higher education sector
Amidst allegations of fake certificate cases and malpractices involving activists from the Students Federation of India (SFI), Governor Arif Mohammed Khan expressed his concerns about the higher education sector, stating that it was on the verge of a ‘collapse,’ leading the youth to seek opportunities outside the state.
Governor Khan told reporters that he intends to seek clarification from the relevant authorities regarding the lapses that allowed an SFI leader to submit a fake certificate for college admission.
Taking a swipe at the SFI, which is the student wing of the ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist), the governor remarked that being a member of this particular student organisation seemed to provide a license to engage in various illegal activities. Despite the state’s relatively low crime rate, there is a high tendency to indulge in illegal activities due to political patronage, he added.