Kerala student alleges ABVP stripped and beat him for refusing to raise slogans, ABVP denies

Abhijith, a student in Thiruvanthapuram also alleged that ABVP members beat him for have Che Guevara as his background picture on his phone.
Kerala student alleges ABVP stripped and beat him for refusing to raise slogans, ABVP denies
Kerala student alleges ABVP stripped and beat him for refusing to raise slogans, ABVP denies
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A group of ABVP workers allegedly assaulted a student after he refused to join RSS routine drill in the college and raise ABVP slogans. The student, Abhijit, is from Thiruvananthapuram’s VTM NSS College.

It started when Abijith, a Left sympathiser, was made to hold the ABVP flag and asked to raise their slogans.

“I was in the classroom when a group of ABVP workers asked me to come to the college ground on October 3. They asked me for my mobile and spotted Che Guevara’s picture. They stripped me and started beating me,” Abhijit alleged.

“They wanted to know if I will gather students to form SFI wing in the campus. They also found Shajin Shahul’s (SFI martyr) picture on my phone. They asked me if I had gone for his condolence meeting and started beating me again. They confiscated my phone and kept the memory card with themselves,” he added.

Two days later, on October 5, Abhijith decided not to go to college. When he went the next day, ABVP members apparently questioned his absence.

“They had formed the Union in the college after the elections and asked me to be in front of the victory procession. They made me hold the flag and asked me to raise ABVP slogans. On my refusal, they started beating me again,” Abhijith said.

The ABVP however, has denied the allegations and claimed that the incident was staged by SFI. ABVP state secretary Rakesh told TNM that there was no solid proof of the incident having taken place.

“The college authorities and the teachers haven’t received any complaint from Abhijith or his family. This case was cooked up by SFI after the Union elections at VTM NSS College. We have won these college union elections and SFI has always been intolerant towards other political parties growing in the campus,” he argued.

SFI State Secretary Vijin maintained that the incident was very much real and that Abhijith, a Dalit student had not come forward earlier out of fear. He claimed that ABVP was intimidating Abhijith for political motives.

“VTM NSS College has a strong RSS ABVP union. They don’t even let other political parties file nominations during the elections. ABVP has been resorting to violence in many colleges throughout the state,” Vijin alleged.

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