Classes resumed at the National Institute of Technology-Calicut (NIT-C) on February 5 (Monday), three days after the institute was closed in the wake of the protests against the recent suspension of a student there.
Vysakh Premkumar, a final-year student in Electronics and Communication Engineering, was suspended by the authorities on January 31 after they accused him of creating a ruckus on the campus on January 22. Mr. Premkumar had staged a protest against an event held there on January 21, where a saffron coloured map of India with a bow and arrow was displayed. The suspension led to widespread protests inside and outside the campus on February 1, forcing the authorities to put it hold until a decision on his appeal against the proposal is heard. The institute was closed for closed for three days from February 2.
Meanwhile, activists of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) staged a protest outside the campus on Monday, burning photos of Nathuram Vinayak Godse, the murderer of Mahatma Gandhi. This was against the backdrop of the Facebook comment by Shaija Andavan, a Professor attached to the mechanical engineering department, hailing Godse for “saving India”. ABVP activists claimed that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh had no role in the murder of the Mahatma. Later, activists of the Kerala Students Union too staged a protest symbolically hanging Godse.
The Kunnamangalam police, who earlier registered a case against Ms. Andavan under Section 153 of the Indian Penal Code, have now sought details of her account from Facebook. According to sources, they have also approached the NIT-C authorities to seek her details. The case was filed based on a complaint against Ms. Andavan by the Students Federation of India, which is planning to take out a protest march to the institute on Tuesday.
