A 13-member anti-ragging committee of the Kannur University has concluded that the accusation levelled against two students – Alan Shuhaib and Badharudheen V – by the Students Federation of India (SFI), does not come under the extent of ragging or “the variety of ragging practices.” The committee, in its report dated November 28, concluded that it viewed the incident between the two groups as “part of student group clashes and the related conflicts between students, which is politically instilled in nature.”
The committee report was based on a complaint filed by Adhin Subi, a first-year LLB student of the Palayad Kannur University campus, accusing both Alan and Badharudheen, also LLB students of the same campus, of ragging and physically assaulting him on campus. Alan Shuhaib, one of the accused in the case, is currently out on bail in the Pantheerankavu UAPA case.
The committee comprised the campus director, representatives of the faculty and a police official from the Dharmadam police station. They had recorded the statement of these students, during which both the complainant and the accused had claimed that they were beaten up by the other party. However, while analysing the CCTV visuals of the main campus from November 2, the day of the incident, it was found that the conversation was initiated by the complainant Adhin with the accused student, Badharudheen. It was understood that the conversation ended in “some kinds of disputes and arguments and also resulted in a crowd of students around them.”
When TNM spoke to Badharudheen on November 7, he said that he did not expect his conversation with Adhin – reported to be a member of the SFI – to end in a fight. “Adhin and I come from the same place and studied in the same entrance institute. So I assumed he was approaching me to rebuild our acquaintance. But then he started to deviate from pleasantries. He asked me why I was standing against the SFI, and his tone soon turned aggressive. There were CCTV cameras there, so what happened is clear for the world to see,” he told TNM. According to the committee report, Alan said that he reached the spot of the incident on hearing the sounds of the students fighting and was just trying to keep apart the students, especially his friend Badharudheen.
Speaking to TNM, Alan said the SFI members had been consistently targeting him and his friends. “They are also trying to get my bail cancelled with these false cases,” Allan further alleged. Allan and Badharudheen are currently part of the Vidyarthi Aikya Munnani, an unofficial group of like-minded students. “Our aim is not to destroy the SFI. Students of all kinds of political affiliations including the SFI and even those who do not want to claim any political identity whatsoever are part of this group. All we seek is a democratic environment where we can study peacefully and exercise our right to share our political opinions when we feel like it,” he says.
Meanwhile, SFI district president Sanjeev alleged that the intention behind dragging SFI’s name into this incident was mala fide. “SFI is not involved in what happened. From what we have understood so far, the student who was ragged (Adhin) is not a member of the SFI. But he is an active part of the NSS and has taken part in various activities carried out by SFI. Badarudheen, one of the accused in the ragging case, is acquainted with Adhin,” he said.
Sanjeev further stated that the SFI stood firm against the “presence of extremist groups in the campus, including the Campus Front and other anarchist groups.” He alleged that “There is a group in the Palayad campus, where these tendencies seem to be growing under a certain kind of leadership,” he alleged.
Meanwhile, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) had approached the NIA court in Kochi to demand the withdrawal of the bail given to Alan in the UAPA case citing that he had violated bail conditions.