Situation on major college campuses in the district continued to be volatile on Thursday, with clashes erupting out of political rivalry threatening to disrupt law and order.
Abhiram, 20, a second-year degree student at VTM NSS College in Dhanuvachapuram, who is an activist of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), was allegedly stabbed by his batchmate, a Students Federation of India (SFI) member, on the college premises. The accused has been identified as Sajin, 24, of Pozhiyoor.
Neyyattinkara Dy.SP B. Harikumar said the trigger of the incident was a dispute relating to the use of a Che Guevara sticker by the accused on his vehicle.
Some ABVP activists, led by Abhiram, had repeatedly warned Sajin against displaying the image and demanded that it be removed.
Sajin refused, leading to an altercation on Thursday, during which he allegedly stabbed Abhiram in the stomach.
Soon after the incident, Sajin fled and is absconding. Abhiram was rushed to the Thiruvananthapuram Government Medical College Hospital, where his condition is stated to be stable. In protest, ABVP activists conducted a demonstration at the college. They called off the protest only after stringent action was promised against the accused. The ABVP is the sole student organisation in the college, the police officer said.
Security at MG College
Meanwhile, the police continued its vigil on the premises of MG College in the wake of the recent clash between SFI and ABVP activists. While demonstrations had been taken out by either organisations on the previous day, calm prevailed on Thursday. Classes are expected to resume only on Monday.
The college had declared holiday close on the heels of the violence that broke out on Tuesday.
Mysterious vehicle
On Wednesday, around 500 SFI activists led by former legislator V. Sivankutty took out a march to the college and erected a flag pole outside the campus. A group of ABVP activists took down the pole in the evening. Some of the activists allegedly clashed with the police, who caned them.
The probe into the presence of a vehicle found with dangerous objects, not far from the college when the clash broke out on Tuesday, is progressing.
At SN College
Separately, timely intervention by the police thwarted a clash between SFI and ABVP activists over a flag pole row at Sree Narayana College, Chempazhanthy. Tight vigil has been imposed in the area to prevent untoward incidents.
