THIRUVANANTHAPURAM : The participation of Students’ Federation of India (SFI) workers, including unit leaders, in the mob trial that led to the suicide of College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences student
J S Sidharthan at Pookode in Wayanad has revealed the fall of a student organisation which had once won the hearts of the student community in professional colleges by taking a tough stand against ragging.
It was in the beginning of the 1980s that SFI, affiliated to the CPM, became a major force in student politics, surpassing the Kerala Students Union (KSU) affiliated to the Congress. However, the organisation could not win a professional college even after its many triumphs in other institutions.
“Then, we started to inquire about the reasons behind it organisationally,” C P John, who was in charge of the SFI in professional colleges at the time, told TNIE.
“We found out that ragging was the main issue. Hence, we worked vigorously against it. We built our units in these professional colleges on the basis of an anti-ragging stance and finally won the hearts of the student community. Many parents expressed their gratitude to us for ending ragging.”
John also demanded the state government constitute a commission to study how democratic university campuses in Kerala are. “Will the government be ready to form a commission? How can students join foreign university campuses if they were to be set up in the state in this situation,” he asks.
The CPM state leadership has control over the SFI as its office-bearers are party members at various levels. TNIE's efforts to contact CPM central committee member A K Balan, who is in charge of the SFI, for comment on the issue failed as he did not respond to calls or messages.
Former SFI leaders also point to the lack of organisational control for the CPM over the SFI.“When V S Achuthanandan was the CPM state secretary, SFI leaders were often summoned to the party headquarters at AKG Centre in Thiruvananthapuram to seek explanation whenever an unwanted incident occurred in student politics,” said a former SFI leader who preferred to stay anonymous.
“If a lathicharge or stone throwing happened, against any vehicle, the party leadership sought explanations. Now, that has changed,” he said.
The suicide of the student has once again put the SFI and the CPM under the scanner in the name of alleged campus violence. The incident occurred at a time when the CPM had just started its Lok Sabha election campaign. The Congress and the BJP, have also taken up the issue as a political campaign. In 2019, it was the twin killing of Congress workers in Kasaragod by CPM local leaders that had put the party in a defensive position.
“Of the 18 students against whom cases have been registered, only four were SFI workers including unit office-bearers,” SFI state secretary P M Arsho said.
He said Sidharth too was an SFI worker. “He was a class representative of our organisation. The issue was not political or campus-related. It was between the students. We have dismissed our workers once it was revealed that ragging happened. We will stand with Sidharthan’s family,” Arsho said.
