The Kerala police on Monday arrested two more persons in relation to the murder of the 20-year-old SFI activist Abhimanyu at Maharaja's College in Kochi. A report by news18 says that the names of the persons taken into custody are Sahadh and Khalid.
The Kochi police have confirmed to TNM that the arrests of the three persons taken into custody on Sunday have been recorded.
“Three people have been arrested so far. Bilal (19) from Chirakkal house Kottayam, Farooq (19) from Pathanamthitta and Riyaz (37) from Fort Kochi. Farooq was to join Maharaja’s as part of the new batch on Monday while Riyaz was already a student of the college. Riyaz is a party worker for NDF,” the police officer stated.
The three accused will be produced before the Kochi CJM court on Tuesday.
The police have started questioning the persons taken into custody, says the news18 report.
The report also states that among the person who attacked Abhimanyu, only one of them was a student at Maharajas college. The rest of them are outsiders who came on the request of the student from Maharajas, the police is reported to have said.
Abhimanyu, a second year BSc Chemistry student, was killed when SFI students and Campus Front of India (Student Wing of PFI) workers allegedly clashed inside the campus on Sunday. A native of Marayoor in Idukki, Abhimanyu was allegedly stabbed on late Sunday night.
According to reports, the incident was triggered by an argument over sticking posters within the campus by the two groups. Abhimanyu was painting the walls of the campus to welcome the new batch of students whose classes were to begin on Monday. However, college staff has said that following this incident, the dates will be postponed.
Another student of the college, 19-year-old Arjun who studies BSc Philosophy, also sustained severe injuries. He has been admitted to the Ernakulam Medical Trust Hospital in the city and had to undergo an emergency surgery.
Arguments and even violence over which group gets to use which wall inside the college campus and fill it with their political writings, paintings and posters is not new to Maharajas, one of the most prestigious colleges in Kochi.