Panel to prepare report on rights violations in University College

Thiruvananthapuram: The Save University College campaign committee has resolved to appoint a people's panel on a fact-finding mission to prepare a detailed report on human rights violations on the campus.
In a meeting held at Press Club here on Friday, the committee also adopted a resolution to appoint an independent judicial inquiry commission to carry out a probe into the circumstances that led to the suicide attempt by a girl student on the campus. The girl attempted suicide allegedly due to harassment by SFI leaders.
Congress leader V M Sudheeran who inaugurated the meet urged the SFI leadership to take steps for ensuring a healthy democratic atmosphere on the campus, which he said was ruined by SFI workers. “The SFI that criticize the attack on their comrades in JNU by ABVP should first take steps to curb the same notorious practices by their comrades in University College,” he said.
Sudheeran criticized Kerala Police for not showing interest in the investigation. “Rather than bringing the original culprits before law, police have registered a case against the student who was mentally tortured. Police should take action against all those criminals including SFI representatives, teaching and non – teaching staffs who are involved in the case,” he added.
Several former students of the college who had bitter experiences from the SFI in the college attended the convention and shared their experiences which haunted them even after decades.
Recalling his experience, A R Nishad, a former KSU activist of NSS College, Nilamel said the brutal and inhuman assault he was subjected by SFI workers on the University campus in the year 2000 continued to haunt him. “A gang of 10 SFI workers of the University College dragged me into an empty class room and beat me in black and blue with long sticks. I was bleeding profusely. My head, ears and hands were injured. They pulled me on to a desk and laid me on my back. Then, using a sharp knife they scribbled the letters SFI on my back,” he said.