The Kerala High Court’s order banning strikes, sit-in and other agitations on campuses has drawn a sharp reaction from both the pro-government and Opposition student organisations and political parties.
Coming down heavily on the Division Bench order here on Friday, CPI(M) State secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan said the decision would have dangerous consequences. The verdict would be music to the ears of those who see education as business but what would thrive in educational institutions in the absence of progressive students’ organisations would be lawlessness and terrorism, he said.
Mr. Balakrishnan pointed out that the State already had the experience of private self-financing colleges where students were being forced to commit suicide following torture. Legal action must be taken to counter the court verdict, he said.
At a news conference in Kozhikode, Kerala Students Union president K.M. Abhijith said the KSU would approach the court urging it to reconsider its order. He alleged that the High Court’s order was the fallout of political violence spearheaded by Students Federation of India (SFI) activists at Ponnani MES College. He called upon the government to come out with a law to protect the rights of students’ organisations that functioned responsibly on campuses.
In a statement in the State capital, the SFI termed the verdict anti-democratic and a blow to the constitutionally mandated citizen’s right to protest. It was the responsibility of students to agitate against injustice. Managements and those in power had always sought to curb student politics on campuses.
In the absence of student organisations, campuses would become the hunting grounds of the drug mafia, forces of ragging, and casteist and communal elements, the SFI said.
In a statement, the All India Students Federation (AISF) said it would challenge the HC verdict which was an assault on the rights of students. The argument that students should not discuss politics in a democracy was wrong.