Published Jul 09, 2025 | 4:52 PM ⚊ Updated Jul 09, 2025 | 4:52 PM
SFI will also boycott temporary vice-chancellors appointed by Raj Bhavan, accusing them of furthering the RSS’s ideological interests on campuses.
Synopsis: SFI State president M Sivaprasad said students in colleges and schools associated with the organisation would stay away from classes and march to Central government offices across the state.
The Students’ Federation of India (SFI) has called for a statewide boycott of classes on Thursday, 10 July, protesting what it termed as Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar’s “attempt to saffronise Kerala’s public universities.”
Addressing reporters on Wednesday, 9 July, SFI State president M Sivaprasad said students in colleges and schools associated with the organisation would stay away from classes and march to Central government offices across the state.
The protest is aimed at resisting moves by the Governor, who serves as Chancellor of universities, to allegedly erode the autonomy of higher education institutions and implement a “right-wing, majoritarian agenda.”
Sivaprasad also declared that SFI will also boycott temporary vice-chancellors appointed by Raj Bhavan, accusing them of furthering the RSS’s ideological interests on campuses.
He criticised the Kerala Students Union (KSU) for staying silent, alleging it was under pressure from the Opposition Leader to avoid supporting the protests.
The SFI further accused the UDF and BJP of colluding in higher education matters. The Leftist students’ organisation has been protesting the alleged saffronisation of higher education, with the rallies often turning violent.
The Raj Bhavan and the state government have been at loggerheads ever since Governor Arlekar started insisting on displaying a picture, said to be Bharat Mata, at events.
It was a controversy that began on 25 June at the University of Kerala’s Senate Hall, which culminated in the suspension of its Registrar, Prof Dr KS Anil Kumar, following high drama surrounding the display of a Bharat Mata portrait holding an RSS flag.
The event, organised by Padmanabha Seva Samithi to mark the anniversary of the Emergency, was scheduled to be inaugurated by the Governor.
However, moments before his arrival, protests erupted from the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) activists and other groups over a portrait of Bharat Mata holding a saffron flag displayed at the venue.
Citing the use of religious symbolism in a secular academic space, the Registrar hurriedly revoked permission for the programme and informed both the Director General of Police (DGP) and Kerala Raj Bhavan — allegedly while the Governor was already at the venue participating in the event.
An internal inquiry later allegedly found that the Registrar acted prematurely, without verifying whether the image violated university rules, which prohibit religious prayers and speeches but not specific images.
Though the Registrar was suspended, he was reinstated later. However, his suspension was widely criticised by the government.
