The Opposition staged a walkout in the Assembly on Tuesday after accusing the Government of downplaying the alleged attack on a Dalit woman leader of the All India Students Federation (AISF) by Students Federation of India (SFI) activists at the Mahatma Gandhi University.
Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan, who made a submission on the issue, accused SFI activists of sexually assaulting and passing casteist comments on the complainant. Besides, the police had been slow-pedalling in investigating the case. He alleged that the SFI had been denying other organisations the freedom to function on campuses.
Replying to the submission, Higher Education Minister R. Bindu said the Government had endorsed unfettered campus activism that was credited for preventing ragging, gender and caste discrimination, and other social evils.
Besides, orders had been issued to constitute gender justice fora, internal complaints committees and other panels mandated by the UGC.
Referring to the Mahatma Gandhi University incident, Dr. Bindu said the election to the Senate and the student council were held in a free and fair manner and that the university received no complaints. The Gandhi Nagar police (in Kottayam) had, however, registered four cases in connection with the clash. She denied the involvement of any member of her personal staff in the incident.
