The Students Federation of India (SFI) took out a march to the University of Calicut on Friday in protest against the election procedures being adopted by the university authorities.
The protestors alleged that a section of university officials were trying to rig the student union elections with the help of leaders of the Muslim Students Federation (MSF).
A strong police force was deployed in front of the university gate under the leadership of Deputy Superintendent of Police C. Abhilash and circle inspectors A. Umesh, Johnson, and Premjit. Tension prevailed for about 30 minutes when the protesters tried to break through the police cordon.
ADVERTISEMENT
The protesters demanded that the university withdraw from the alleged move to rig the elections, and initiate action against the officials responsible for introducing the faulty single-window system.
The SFI alleged that a section of Arabic colleges and Muslim management colleges had included 49 university union councillors in the student union voter list without conducting any elections at the college level.
The SFI said it was an anti-democratic move meant to wrest the university student union. It said that it would resist the move to upset the student union elections legally and politically. It demanded that the voter list published by the university should be revised and re-published.
ADVERTISEMENT
SFI central committee member M. Shajar inaugurated the march. Its State committee member V.K. Kiran Raj presided. SFI central committee member P.G. Subidas, State committee member P. Jiji, university union chairman M. Sameesh, and Calicut University Employees Union president P. Omer spoke.