DYFI, AISF Protest Against Kerala Governor’s ‘Saffronisation’ Move; Police Detain Protesters

In Kerala University, demonstrators attempted to breach the university gates, leading to police intervention with water cannons and detentions.

The protest, which began as a march towards the university gates, turned confrontational when demonstrators tried to scale the compound fence.

Source : X/@ANI

Tension prevailed outside Kerala University on Thursday as members of Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) and All India Students' Federation (AISF) staged a protest against Kerala Governor Rajendra Arlekar, accusing him of attempting to "saffronise State-funded universities."

The protest, which began as a march towards the university gates, turned confrontational when demonstrators tried to scale the compound fence. Kerala Police used water cannons to disperse the crowd and detained several agitators, including those who refused to disperse despite repeated warnings.

The youth and student wings alleged that the Governor’s recent interventions in university administration reflect a larger attempt to impose ideological influence over academic institutions. Protesters claimed that appointments and decisions made by the Raj Bhavan bypassed established norms and were aimed at pushing a right-wing agenda.

#WATCH | Thiruvananthapuram | Kerala Police uses water cannon to disperse members of Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) and All India Students' Federation (AISF) climbing the gates of the Kerala University.

DYFI and AISF are protesting against Kerala Governor Rajendra… pic.twitter.com/OLgrBX3Rtk

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Police maintained a strong presence in the area to prevent escalation.

Earlier, the BJP extended full support to Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar amid allegations from the SFI and CPI(M) that he is promoting the Sangh Parivar agenda in universities. The BJP countered the accusations, claiming that the CPI(M) is using the SFI to distract from the real issues facing the people of Kerala.

Kerala’s universities have recently become the center of a power tussle between the Raj Bhavan and the Left-led state government. Tensions heightened after a few Vice-Chancellors, appointed on an interim basis by the Chancellor, undertook actions that student and teacher unions aligned with the Left allege reflect a bias toward the Sangh Parivar.