Case registered against 25 Kerala university students over Vande Mataram seminar protest
A case has been registered against 25 unidentified students of the Central University of Kerala following a protest during a seminar marking the 150th anniversary of Vande Mataram, police said.
The two-day seminar was held at the university’s Periya campus in Kasaragod on October 6 and 7. Students from organisations including the SFI, AISF, KSU and MSF had protested against the participation of J Nandakumar, national convener of the RSS-linked Prajna Pravah. They also alleged that some students who had registered for the event were denied entry.
According to the FIR registered at Bekal police station, around 25 students allegedly assembled unlawfully at the seminar venue on Wednesday afternoon, raised slogans and disrupted the proceedings. Police said the students continued their protest despite being ordered to disperse.
The case was registered suo motu based on information provided by police personnel deployed for security. The students have been booked under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita relating to unlawful assembly, disobedience of a lawful order and rioting. Police are examining CCTV footage to identify those involved.
The development follows clashes between protesting students and police on October 6, in which several students were reported injured.
Kerala Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, who attended the seminar’s valedictory session on October 7, alleged that the protest was part of a wider conspiracy and called for those behind such activity to be identified.
with inputs from PTI
