SFI denies ‘locking up’ 21 college lecturers; photo proves otherwise?

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A group of SFI activists, comprising both students and outsiders, allegedly locked up 21 teachers in the principal’s room at Government Law College here for more than nine hours, till past midnight, on Thursday and allegedly assaulted a lady teacher when she tried to get out of the room after they cut off power supply to the room.
Assistant professor V K Sanju said she tried to leave the room as she felt uneasiness once the protesters cut off the power supply around 11.30pm. "Students and their supporters from outside blocked my way. Though I repeatedly requested them to let me go out as I was feeling breathless, they refused and twisted my arm," she said.
SFI state secretary Arsho P M, however, said the activists had only laid siege to the principal’s office demanding revocation of a "unilateral" disciplinary action. "The reports that SFI activists had locked teachers in the office are baseless and the allegations are an attempt to sabotage the college union election. KSU activists attacked our activists on Tuesday and three girls are still in hospital. The college management suspended 24 SFI activists, who protested against the attack, alleging that they were aggressive and had burnt KSU flags. This was a unilateral decision and we demanded revoking it," he said.
Several SFI activists, both boys and girls, had reportedly barged into the room of college principal R Bijukumar by Thursday afternoon when he was holding a meeting with teachers and some parents on a clash between students on the campus on March 14 and lurking tension over college union election fixed for March 24.
College authorities had suspended 14 SFI activists for allegedly destroying the flag poles and other publicity material of the KSU with the help of a gang from outside on Tuesday night. “A group of students assembled in front of my office on Thursday afternoon and started the gherao by 3pm after we declined their demand to suspend an equal number of KSU workers. The suspension of SFI workers was initiated on the basis of CCTV footage and there was no such evidence against KSU workers. Since we did not want police to remove students using force, we decided to wait till they dispersed on their own. We never expected things to end up like this,” the principal told TOI.
Bijukumar said he had no complaint against the police as he himself had asked them not to use force. He filed a police complaint against the activists on Friday evening. “Most of the protesting students were taken aback by the attack on the teacher and they dispersed themselves. It’s the presence of outsiders on the campus that leads to such violence and undesirable incidents,” said Bijukumar, who had studied in the same college before becoming a faculty there.
SFI state secretary Arsho claimed that the siege, which began in the evening, continued till around 10pm, when police arrested and removed the protesters after mediation attempts failed. “The protest was against the principal but the teachers also came to his office. However, nobody was locked inside the office. A proper investigation should be conducted,” he said.
Museum police registered a case in connection with a group of identifiable persons in connection with the attack on the lady teacher. Museum CI Manjunath said a case has been registered under bailable sections 323 and 342 in IPC for voluntarily causing hurt and for wrongful confinement.