The Students Federation of India’s (SFI) Statewide boycott of classes to protest against Governor Arif Mohammed Khan’s alleged attempt to stack university senates with Sangh Parivar nominees turned violent in at least three places in the State on Wednesday.
The police used water cannons to disperse SFI workers who marched to Raj Bhavan in protest against what they called a well-entrenched plot to saffronise the State’s higher education sector. Police officers in riot gear jostled with SFI workers who tried to push their way into Raj Bhavan through the police barricades.
Inaugurating the march, SFI State secretary P.M. Arsho warned Mr. Khan, who is the Chancellor of State universities, of intense street protests if he continued to push the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) agenda. He said the SFI would boycott Mr. Khan across the State, including on university and college campuses.
In Kannur, the police used powerful water jets to disperse SFI workers who attempted to storm the Postal department office. In Kozhikode, they arrested SFI workers who protested in front of the IT department building.