KOCHI: Police on Thursday registered a murder attempt case against 19 students after an SFI leader at Maharaja's College, Ernakulam, was hacked by students belonging to KSU and Fraternity Movement late on Wednesday night.
Abdul Nasar PA, unit secretary of SFI at the Maharaja's College, was returning after a drama practice when he was attacked by a group led by a student named Abdu Malik at around 11.40 pm, police said.
Nasar is recuperating after being admitted to a private hospital in Kochi.
KSU and Fraternity Movement are student wings of Congress and the Welfare Party in Kerala.
Police have registered a case against Abdul Malik, Bilal, Rashid, Dhanish, Afham, Kamal, Amal Tomy, Ljilal, Abhinav, Sahadan, Mukthar, Basil, Rita Islam, Ayisha and five other identifiable persons.
According to police, Nazar was returning after the rehearsal of a drama as part of a university-level theatre festival. When Nazar reached Center Circle near the Chemistry Laboratory of Maharaja's College, he was stopped by Abdul Malik, Bilal, Rashid and Dhanish. Malik took out a knife and hacked Nazar. Then he was hit with an iron rod by Afham and Kamal.
This was followed by a clash between SFI leaders and another group comprising activists of the Fraternity Movement and KSU. Students from both sections suffered injuries and were shifted to Ernakulam General Hospital. Nazar was shifted to a private hospital considering that he had suffered grievous injuries. He is currently in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
The case was registered charging offences like murder attempt, unlawful assembly, wrongful restraint, voluntarily causing hurt, causing hurt using a dangerous weapon and criminal intimidation.
Police also have enhanced security outside Maharaja's college to prevent any untoward incident in the aftermath of violence. "We are in search of some accused persons, who have gone absconding after the incident. We have information about some of them. Some of the accused persons are admitted to hospitals after suffering injuries," a police officer said.
There was a clash between SFI and the Fraternity Movement at the Arabic Department of the college in which six students were injured on Monday. Police had registered cases against both sections of students.
Case against SFI students after ruckus at hospital
Meanwhile, the violence at the Maharaja's College was followed by a ruckus at Ernakulam General Hospital as police registered a case against 32 SFI activists under the Kerala Healthcare Service Persons and Healthcare Service Institutions (Prevention of Violence and Damage to Property) Act KHSIA on Thursday.
The case was registered after SFI activists from Maharaja's College gathered in big numbers at the casualty wing of Ernakulam General Hospital at around 12.30 am.
Seeing Fraternity Movement leader Bilal who attacked SFI leader Abdul Nazar PA admitted to the hospital, the students demanded that he be handed over to them. However, when doctors and security persons at the hospital warned them against creating a ruckus in the Procedure Room, they attacked security persons and damaged medical equipment in the casualty room.
A glass frame in the casualty room was broken following the ruckus. A case was registered by Ernakulam Central Police against SFI leaders at Maharajas College named Akhil, Joyal and 30 other identifiable students.
