Kannur (Kerala) | The students union election in the Kannur University was on Wednesday marred by violent clashes between the ruling CPI (M) affiliated SFI and the United Democratic Students' Front (UDSF), causing injuries to several students and a police officer.
A tense atmosphere prevailed as members of the SFI and UDSF violently clashed with each other, throwing stones and helmets at each other and causing injuries to several members of each group.
The UDSF comprises the Congress party affiliated Kerala Students Union (KSU) and the Indian Union Muslim League's (IUML) student wing, Muslim Students Federation (MSF).
Police resorted to lathi charge several times to disperse the two clashing groups -- the Student Federation of India (SFI) on the one side and the UDSF on the other side.
Kannur SP Nidhinraj P told reporters that both sides have made several allegations against each other in connection with the election and further steps would be taken after examining the claims of the two student outfits. The allegations include illegal voting and tampering.
Eventually, SFI, the CPI(M)'s student wing, bagged all the general seats in the elections to lead the university union for the 26th consecutive time, while the MSF got two district executive seats.
MSF alleged that a SFI candidate snatched a bag containing voter certificate and ballot paper of a MSF University Union Council (UUC) member. Following the accusation, police restrained the woman SFI candidate.
Subsequently, SFI activists intervened in large numbers, clashed with the police and freed the woman and a police officer was reportedly injured.
SFI State Secretary PS Sanjeev told reporters that the SFI candidate was restrained by the police without any reason as there was no evidence that she snatched the bag of a MSF UUC member.
He alleged that the woman was restrained by police merely on the basis of accusations by the MSF.
The SFI alleged that the MSF engaged in illegal voting by bringing voters in a bus from outside.
The police were present on the campus following a Kerala High Court order asking the Vice Chancellor to seek police assistance, if necessary, to conduct the university union election. The High Court had also ordered that the entire election process be videographed.
The order was following a plea by a MSF candidate who had alleged that candidates of her student organisation were threatened and prevented from filing their nomination papers by the SFI.
