As the Kerala Law Academy stir enters the 28th day, protesters on Tuesday shut down a hotel run by the former Principal Dr. Lekshmi Nair on the campus.
This comes in the backdrop of the Kerala University Syndicate special meeting to probe into Lekshmi’s law degree that was apparently gifted to her by her father and Academy director Narayanan Nair.
The agitators directed their ire at the hotel owned by Lekshmi and located on the college premises. Demanding that the state government take possession of the 12 acres of land on which the college is situated, protesters created a ruckus at the hotel and forcefully shut it down.
They also barged into a co-operative bank functioning on the campus, and asked the employees to leave, demanding that shutters be downed. The police however prevented them from doing so, while detaining a few protesters.
Officials of the state Revenue Department had earlier found that the college Management was the recipient of income generated from running the hotel, as well as leasing out a building to the said bank.
There were allegations that Lekshmi had made use of the bank to convert black money to white.
Meanwhile, state Revenue Minister E Chandrashekharan asked the Revenue Secretary to submit his enquiry report on the ownership of the college land at the earliest.
Congress and BJP leaders cautioned Revenue officials against submitting a report in favour of the Management, succumbing to reported pressure from the state Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
Congress leader K Muraleedharan who has been on an indefinite hunger strike for the past six days, said that he would resort to legal action if the same was done.
Earlier on Monday, Lekshmi had approached the state DGP complaining against messages and posts on social media that she claimed were derogatory in nature.
Seeking action against those found guilty of the same, Lekshmi had mentioned about how several morphed semi-nude photographs are doing the rounds online, thereby defaming herself and her family.
According to the latest reports, an ABVP student threatened to jump off a tree on the campus, demanding Lekshmi’s resignation. Reportedly a student of the Academy, he climbed the tree with a bag in hand.
Though the Management had promised that Lekshmi would step down from the Principal’s post, several media reports quoted her as saying that she would not oblige at any cost.