University officials and a group of Syndicate members of the University of Kerala bought peace with the students on the Karyavattom campus who refused to vacate the hostels on Saturday, a day after the Vice Chancellor ordered that the premises be closed for a week for the renovation of the canteen facilities.
The situation was defused by a group of Syndicate members, including P.M. Radhamany, A.A. Rahim, M. Sreekumar, and Prathin Saj Krishna, and the Registrar (in-charge) R. Jayachandran, who rushed to the campus after hearing that several students were locked inside the women’s hostel.
While Vice Chancellor P.K. Radhakrishnan had ordered that the Karyavattom campus and the hostels be closed until December 22, around 70 students refused to move out of the women’s hostel. They were reportedly locked in the hostel by the warden early Saturday.
The university authorities had also allegedly cautioned the students of strict action if they failed to shift from the hostels.
The decision taken by the Vice Chancellor to suspend classes on the campus was made on the basis of a report submitted by the hostel warden.
The hostellers have been on the path of agitation ever since worms had been found in a dish served to them a few days ago.
Upcoming exams
Senate member S. Najeeb said, “Many hostellers are set to appear for the CSIR-UGC National Eligibility Test (NET) examination on Sunday. Moreover, some researchers are expected to appear for the open defence of their theses in the next few days. Instructing the students to leave the hostels for other facilities at short notice has inconvenienced many, especially those from far-off districts.”
Many activists of the Students Federation of India (SFI), led by Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader V. Sivankutty, protested against the move to lock up the students in hostel. The agitators later called off their demonstration after the Registrar agreed to accommodate the students in the hostel. He also entrusted the warden with the responsibility of handling the canteen until an alternative arrangement was made.
Moreover, Kerala State Youth Commission chairperson Chintha Jerome intervened in the issue. The commission has decided to register a case in connection with the incident.
