THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: After an election counting marred by large-scale violence, SFI retained the Kerala University union by winning six of the seven general office-bearer seats, late on Thursday. KSU registered its first win in a general seat after more than a decade by wresting the vice-chairperson post.
In the election to the students council, SFI bagged seven seats and the KSU three. SFI also maintained an upper-hand in the executive committee by winning 11 seats while four were bagged by the KSU. Election to the accounts committee saw SFI winning four seats while KSU clinched one seat.
Earlier, violence rocked the state capital after the SFI and KSU members engaged in a pitched street battle on Thursday evening following the Kerala University Union election.
The violence reportedly erupted during the victory celebration conducted by members of both outfits. The KSU alleged that the SFI members resorted to violence when they were celebrating the win of their candidate to the post of vice-chairperson.
The SFI members charged that it was the Youth Congress and KSU workers stationed outside the campus, who started the attack.
As clashes broke out inside the campus, the Youth Congress and KSU workers assembled near the MLA hostel and hurled stones at the SFI workers, who were inside the campus. The SFI members too replied in mind, setting off tension that spanned for more than four hours.
A large posse of cops was fielded to prevent the violence from spilling over. The cops resorted to lathicharge to disperse the mob during which several KSU and SFI members sustained injuries. The traffic movement along the road in front of the university was affected for a while as clashes spilled onto the arterial road. The police blocked vehicles, including KSRTC buses for a while as heavy stone pelting was reported.
KSU state president Aloysius Xavier alleged that SFI workers attacked KSU members inside the university premises without any provocation. “Even the women members of KSU were not spared. An SFI worker attacked a KSU district office-bearer with a helmet and ignited the strife. The whole episode was planned and executed by the SFI as they could not tolerate us winning the vice-chairperson post,” he said.
SFI state president M Sivaprasad alleged that the KSU members assembled outside the campus threw stones resulting in many of their men sustaining injuries. “ The KSU-Youth Congress- Congress men assembled outside threw stones to the campus. They did not even care about the KSU members inside,” he said.