Members of Students Federation of India (SFI) attacked students belonging to Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) for allegedly supporting the Citizenship Amendment Act in a popular college in Kerala. A video of the attack, which happened in Sree Kerala Varma College in Kerala's Thrissur district, has gone viral.
According to media reports, three members of ABVP have been hospitalised after the attack while a few others have sustained injuries.
Both the SFI and ABVP have a strong presence in the college. The SFI activists were enraged after the ABVP members attempted to organise a seminar, supporting the Citizenship Amendment Act in the college on Monday. After SFI objected to the seminar being held in college, the ABVP activists were forced to hold it on the road, outside the college, reported The News Minute.
#WATCH Kerala: Students' Federation of India (SFI) workers thrash an ABVP worker at Sree Kerala Varma College, Thrissur. ABVP had called for a strike on campus today following an altercation with SFI on Dec 16. ABVP had also allegedly thrashed 4 SFI workers earlier today. pic.twitter.com/N7onEK8Qkt
— ANI (@ANI) December 18, 2019
On Wednesday, ABVP called a strike against not being allowed to hold the seminar inside the college. The clash broke out after members of ABVP entered a classroom and asked the students why they are not taking part in the protest.
According to a Malayala Manorama report, timely intervention by teachers prevented the issue from escalating further.
According to the Citizenship Act, which was passed by both houses of Parliament recently, non-Muslim refugees, who came to India before December 31, 2014, to escape religious persecution in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan will be granted Indian citizenship.
