Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
Students at the Central University of Kerala staged protests on Tuesday against the presence of J Nandakumar, national convener of RSS-linked organisation Prajna Pravah, at an event linked to Vande Mataram. The protesters also alleged that several students who had registered for the programme were not allowed to enter.
Activists from various student organisations, including the Kerala Students Union (KSU) and the Muslim Students Federation (MSF), took part in the protest. Left-affiliated groups, the Students Federation of India (SFI) and the All India Students’ Federation (AISF), also joined the agitation outside the venue.
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There was heavy police presence at the programme venue, and protesting students were stopped from entering the hall where the event was being held. Carrying the flags of their organisations, they raised slogans like “Down with RSS” and “RSS go back”. There were scuffles with the police as they tried to gain entry to the programme.
Later, a university official who identified himself as the Dean of Student Affairs told reporters that he was not aware why registered students were being denied entry and said he would have to ask the organisers of the programme. The two-day national seminar, being held on October 6 and 7 on the ‘150th Anniversary of Vande Mataram’, is being organised by the Sahitya Akademi in collaboration with the Akhil Bharatiya Sahitya Parishad and the university as part of a nationwide observance marking 150 years of the national song.
Nandakumar is scheduled to deliver the keynote address at the event, and the students told reporters that they were opposed to his presence at the programme. The valedictory ceremony on October 7 will have Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar as the chief guest, according to a post on the university’s Facebook page. The protest at the university centred on both Nandakumar’s participation in the seminar and the allegation that registered students were denied entry to the event.
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SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
