SSUS Syndicate decides on conditional withdrawal of suspension of 12 SFI activists

A Syndicate meeting of the Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit (SSUS) held on Monday (November 2) decided to permit conditional withdrawal of the suspension of 12 out of the total 16 students who were suspended in connection with the protest led by the Students Federation of India (SFI) to press its various demands, while a meeting of the Syndicate was under way on August 13, 2026.

The revocation of their suspension will be subject to the submission of an unconditional apology stating that they will not breach the disciplinary norms in the future. The suspension of four students has been extended for two more months on charges that they were actively involved in SFI’s organisational affairs during the period of disciplinary action. It included Archana P.S., chairperson of the university students’ union.

The report of the five-member committee of the Syndicate that probed the incidents that occurred on August 13 was placed before the meeting. It alleged that the protesters had staged a mock funeral of Vice-Chancellor Ciza Thomas. The Syndicate found that the participation of the suspended students was confirmed based on CCTV footage examined by the officials concerned.

The SFI leadership had rejected the allegations while pointing out that the students of the Department of Theatre had staged a symbolic protest to highlight the damaged spotlights used by them as part of their studies.

The university authorities issued a release on Monday rejecting claims made by the agitating students that they had used damaged lights at the Department of Theatre during the protest. The Head of the department has informed the Syndicate that the lights were damaged during the massive floods in 2018. The university has not received any complaint about damaged lights from 2018 to March 2026. Four Vice-Chancellors and Syndicates for two terms were in charge of the affairs of the university during this period. Ms. Thomas had assumed charge in March 2026, it said.

P.S. Sanjeev, State Secretary of SFI, said that the suspended students will not submit an unconditional apology. We will hold an indefinite protest demanding the revocation of their suspension without any condition, he said.

Sanskrit University Janakeeya Samrakshana Samithi, led by the Communist Party of India (Marxist), organised a march to the main campus of Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit at Kalady on Monday, demanding that the authorities permit the suspended students affiliated to the SFI to write their exams based on a directive by the Kerala High Court. The police stopped the march at the main entrance of the campus. Besides activists of the CPI(M), the suspended students and their parents participated.