The one-year suspension of the student was put on hold amidst large-scale condemnation and protests by different student organisations.
Students protesting at NIT Calicut over the suspension of a student. (Supplied)
In the face of widespread condemnation from people from different walks of life, the National Institute of Technology, Calicut (NIT-C), has decided to put on hold the year-long suspension of an engineering student, who organised a single-person protest on campus.
The management of the institute issued an order late on Thursday, 1 February, putting on hold the suspension of Vyshakh Premkumar, who had organised a single-person protest against a religious event held on campus hailing Ram temple consecration in Ayodhya.
The suspension was put on hold — not revoked — amidst large-scale condemnation and protests by different student organisations.
The Dean of Students’ Welfare of NIT-C suspended Dalit student Vysakh Premkumar on 31 January after accusing him of inciting an “illegal gathering” that resulted in “campus unrest” on 22 January.
Following the protests, the institute also announced a three non-functional days on 2, 3, and 4 February and asked the students not to “venture out of hostel premises”.
#Kerala: Following the protests inside the campus, NIT Calicut announces three days holiday. https://t.co/00omZX6y5U pic.twitter.com/CfvW71pYnA
— South First (@TheSouthfirst) February 2, 2024
Vysakh is a fourth-year BTech student at NIT-C, and his lone protest invited angry responses from the Sangh Parivar members and sympathisers on the campus.
Despite roughing him up for organising the protest against what almost looked like an official celebration of the consecration by the institute, the authorities chose to suspend him for one year even while retaining the attackers on campus.
The suspension had led to large-scale protests on campus under the joint aegis of major student unions — the SFI, the KSU and the Fraternity Movement.
The institution witnessed large-scale student mobilisation against the act on 1 February. Students staged a massive sit-in at the main entrance of the campus late in the evening, prompting the authorities to rethink.
“As per the directives of the competent authority, the decision to suspend Vyaskh Premkumar is now placed on hold until the appellant authority decides the appeal submitted by the concerned student [sic],” read the latest order issued by the same Dean of Students’ Welfare late on Thursday.
The Students’ Affairs Council (SAC) of the institution had also expressed a “collective concern” over the suspension. It sought the intervention of secular and progressive elements of society to ensure justice for the student. The SAC demanded that the suspension be revoked “immediately” and “unconditionally” and called for a “fair and unbiased inquiry”.
Sources close to Vyshakh earlier told South First that he had organised a single-man protest against a programme inside the campus which raised religious slogans a day before the Ram Temple consecration in Ayodhya on 22 January.
The map of India in saffron which was drawn on NIT-C campus. (Supplied)
“He was peacefully protesting in front of the main building on the campus with a placard that had ‘India is not Ram Rajya’ written on it,” the source added.
Vysakh was allegedly assaulted by members of a pro-Hindu group — the Science and Spirituality club — who shouted “Jai Shri Ram” and painted a saffron map of India on the campus during the inauguration of the club on 21 January. It also comprised a bow and arrow, often attributed to Lord Ram.
On 31 January, the NIT-C suspended Vyshak for a year for breaching “multiple crucial clauses of the institute’s student code of conduct” by protesting against an event organised inside the campus which had religious overtones.
The order issued by the dean of the institute said the actions of Vyshak had resulted in “unrest inside the campus.”.
“In light of these facts, Vysakh Premkumar has been suspended from the institute for one year, effective immediately and extending until 30 January, 2025, due to the violation of multiple provisions of the student code of conduct,” said the student welfare dean of NIT-C.
Quoting Vyshakh, the source said, “He said he was doing his duty as a responsible citizen, bound to declare solidarity with the plurality and peaceful coexistence of people in the country.”
Following his protest, Vyshakh was allegedly assaulted by the members of the Science and Spirituality Club.
According to NIT-C sources, the Science and Spirituality Club members who disapproved of his protest repeatedly destroyed his placard.
Detailing the event of 21 January, the Students Affairs Council (SAC) of the institute said in a statement that the club members disrespected the map of India by drawing the image of a bow and arrow on a saffron background.
The SAC stated that after doing this, the club members raised the slogan “Jai Shri Ram” and posted it on the science and spirituality club’s official Instagram account.
In response to Vaisakh’s action, a group of students assaulted him and tore up his placard while yelling “Jai Shri Ram,” according to the SAC statement.
Campus sources confirmed that the placards made by Vyshak were destroyed three times, and when he made them the fourth time, he was assaulted.
“He did not lodge a complaint against the attackers since the assault occurred in an isolated place. He did not have proof against them. He was verbally and racially abused by the members of the Science and Spirituality Club,” one of the sources on the campus had told South First.
He also said that the speaker of the council, Kailas, who brought up the incident in the SAC WhatsApp group, was assaulted as well.
“Speaker Kailas brought up this incident in the SAC WhatsApp group. After nearly an hour, Kailas was beaten up for asking questions about the event by the Science and Spirituality Club,” the SAC said.
The source said that Kailas lodged a police complaint over the assault and also reported it to the NIT-C management.
“We had a meeting with the student’s welfare dean. He did not accept our demand to revoke the suspension of Vyshakh. He asked for a signed document from the SAC after a meeting with the student body.
But by evening, he relented presumably because the issue created sensation outside the campus,” another source told South First, requesting anonymity, fearing repercussions from the college authorities.
“The dean also said that he didn’t have the authority to revoke the suspension and that power lay with the institute’s director,” the source added.
The source also quoted the director as saying earlier that he wanted to expel Vyshakh, but some faculty members were against it.
Another student had told South First that the person who assaulted Vyshak and Kailas had been subjected to disciplinary actions in the past.
“Shiv Pandey, who orchestrated the assaults, was subjected to several disciplinary actions in the past for actions like creating a group in the institution named Bajrang Dal and also for assaulting senior students. Even after all these, no action was taken against him for the recent assaults,” the student added.
The students also quoted the dean as saying that no action was taken against Pandey since there was no complaint against him.
Meanwhile, several students of NIT-C pointed out, on condition of anonymity, that no action was taken against the members of the Science and Spirituality Club, who assaulted both Vyshakh and Kailas.
Despite repeatedly contacting the dean’s office, South First is yet to receive any response. The institution’s public relations officer also clarified that she was not competent enough to talk about the vexed issue.
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