KOTTAYAM: The row over the clash between activists of SFI and AISF and subsequent booking of SFI leaders on charges of outraging the modesty of woman based on a complaint, took a new turn on Saturday with the police registering case against AISF leaders under the same non-bailable charges.
According to the police, two cases have been registered against AISF leaders. While three were charged with outraging the modesty of a woman based on a complaint filed by an SFI woman leader, four other AISF workers were booked under the provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act for making casteist remarks against MG University Union chairman.
Earlier, the police had registered a case against 10 SFI workers under same charges based on a complaint filed by woman AISF leader. This apart, another case was registered against 14 SFI workers for attacking an AISF leader during the clash.
While cases charged under the IPC section for outraging the modesty of woman will be probed by the Gandhinagar Inspector, the cases registered under Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act will be investigated by the Kottayam DySP. The AISF district leadership, however, alleged that the SFI leaders had filed the complaint only to defend the case registered against them.
“What happened is clear from the video footage. Moreover, SFI leaders lodged the complaint a day after the incident,” said an AISF leader. The leaders alleged that it is suspected to be an attempt to sabotage the case registered against SFI activists based on AISF’s complaint.
“The case against AISF leaders is part of the attempt to protect SFI leader K M Arun, who in the personal staff of General Education Minister V Sivankutty. The police have not included Arun in the list of the accused, who dishonoured AISF woman leader,” said Nandu Joseph, AISF district secretary, Kottayam.
The clash between the two Left wing students’ organisations broke out on Thursday over electing students’ representatives to the Mahatma Gandhi University Senate. The issues appear to have strained the relations between these organisations with leaders of both sides airing serious allegations against each other.