Two SFI activists suspended over alleged disruption of convocation ceremony at Maharaja’s College

A meeting of the council of Maharaja’s College, Ernakulam, held on Monday (November 2) decided to suspend two Students Federation of India (SFI) activists — the chairperson and vice-chairperson of the college union — in connection with a protest during a convocation ceremony on Friday (October 30) that prompted Higher Education Minister Roji M. John to leave the function midway.

Those suspended include V. Praneel Raj, chairperson, and Nafeesathul Misriya, vice-chairperson. The college council meeting formed a five-member inquiry committee to probe the incident and submit a report within 10 days for follow-up action.

SFI activists had allegedly disrupted the meeting soon after the Minister completed his inaugural address, seeking answers from him about the suspension of 16 students of Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit, Kalady.

The college council observed that the alleged disruption of the convocation ceremony attended by the Minister for Higher Education, who is also the Pro-Chancellor of the Mahatma Gandhi University, amounted to a violation of the disciplinary norms on the campus. Moreover, the incident also evoked widespread condemnation from various quarters, including a section of the parents who had objected to the alleged disruption of the ceremony midway, it said.

Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan, who had issued a statement condemning the alleged disruption of the convocation ceremony, had asked the SFI leadership to offer an unconditional apology. He had said that strict and uncompromising legal and disciplinary action would be taken against everyone responsible for the incident.

SFI State secretary P.S. Sanjeev alleged that the college authorities had taken disciplinary action against the chairperson and vice-chairperson for asking the Higher Education Minister legitimate questions about the suspension of 16 students of Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit, Kalady.