Cusat painted in bad light due to clashes between student outfits
KOCHI: Over the years, the Cochin University of Science and Technology’s (Cusat) School of Engineering has been in the news for all the wrong reasons. Even as the university strives to achieve academic excellence, issues like the strife between the students’ organisation and the resultant clashes are taking away Cusat’s sheen.
In the recent clash, a group of SFI activists bashed up those belonging to KSU in a revenge attack leading to the hospitalisation of four and the incarceration of six. The police have registered a case and slapped non-bailable charges, including 308 of IPC (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), on six SFI activists who had used weapons like iron pipes and wooden planks embedded with nails to beat up the KSU activists inside the principal’s room.
Even as the police have registered a case and launched an investigation, the varsity has taken steps to prevent such clashes from recurring. Explaining the steps being initiated, Prof P G Sankaran, the vice-chancellor in charge, said, “Since it has come to the fore that two among the six students are ones who had completed their course, the university has decided to make it mandatory for the students who enter the campus to wear their identity cards.”
He said, “However, there are a lot of limitations when it comes to monitoring visitors to the hostel housing the engineering students. This is a government institution, and it becomes difficult to keep track of the visitors to the students” “The unfortunate incident was an aftermath of the clash that happened during the Sargam youth festival that was held on the campus in April,” said the VC in charge while talking about increasing the security on the campus.
He said, “Strict action is being taken against the six students who were involved in the clash. While four have been suspended, the two students who had completed their course will be denied their degree certificates.”
Meanwhile, Sijimol Hajira, a staff who was attacked by an SFI activist when she tried to close the grill, will be filing a complaint under the aegis of the employees’ union with the police. “Even the security guard who used to be always present in the principal’s room was absent when the incident happened. It was nightmarish,” said Sijimol, whose hand was twisted violently by the student.