Six leaders of the Student Federation of India (SFI) have been suspended by Sree Kerala Varma College (SKVC)on Monday for conducting a beef festival and protest following the murder of Mohammad Akhlaq in Uttar Pradesh allegedly over rumours of storing and consuming beef.
SFI will observe a day of protest in the district on Tuesday against the suspension.
The beef festival in the campus had resulted in clashes between ABVP and SFI when ABVP workers tried to block the SFI activists’ distributing beef dishes.
According to The Hindu, college Principal CM Latha said non-vegetarian dishes were not allowed on the college campus as part of any public function. The SFI did not ask permission of the Principal for conducting such a festival.
"Serving of beef as part of a public festival is against the tradition of the college. So, the management felt it was not proper to conduct a beef festival on the campus. Though the SFI students were told to conduct the beef protest outside the campus, they insisted on conducting it on the campus,” the Principal told The Hindu. She said that explanation will be sought from ABVP unit too.
“Period of suspension will be decided after an inquiry,” she added
Meanwhile the six suspended students were arrested and later left on bail for attacking ABVP workers as per the complaint filed by the college. The college union office was burnt during the clashes and some of the students were severely injured, with some of them having to be reportedly hospitalised.