One student was allegedly stabbed by a SFI activist | Photo Credit: Times Now

Key Highlights The University College is SFI’s bastion. The group is the student arm of CPI(M) The injured student sustained two stab wounds Third-year students organised a protest against the SFI

Thiruvananthapuram: Students’ Federation of India (SFI) activists clashed with students on the campus at University College in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. The clashes took a violent turn after a final year BA student was stabbed over an alleged dispute.

The injured student has been identified as Akhil and he sustained two stab wounds. Following the incident, students alleged that the attackers were SFI activists and started protesting against the group on the campus. Later, they ended the protest after police officials assured to arrest the culprits soon.

The injured student is admitted in the medical college. As per the students who were present at the spot the attack took place at around 12 noon today.

Akhil had skipped the class and was talking to his friends outside the campus. A group of SFI members told him to get into the class but he refused. After this, an argument broke out between the two groups and Akhil was thrashed brutally by the SFI activists. The students also alleged that one of the activists allegedly stabbed Akhil.

After the incident, the third-year students from the college organised a protest outside the government secretariat against the SFI.

The University College is SFI’s bastion which is the student arm of the Communist Party of India (Marxist).

This year in May, a similar clash broke out between the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and the SFI in the Himachal Pradesh University (HPU) campus. In the clash, 17 students from both student factions were injured.

The clash between the students broke out in the morning during a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) shakha meet.

Talking to the media, ABVP’s university campus vice-president Ashwani Thakur claimed that ABVP members were attacked by the SFI members with swords. He further said that four of the student leaders were critically injured in this violent attack.

However, SFI state president Vikram Kaith rejected the allegation saying that SFI members were threatened and attacked by the ABVP members when they were playing cricket at the university ground.

Kaith further said that when the SFI members responded they were assaulted by the RSS and ABVP people using lathis.

Reacting on this, Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur said that the RSS was conducting a programme when the attack took place. Calling the incident unfortunate he said that he had instructed the DGP and SP to maintain law and order.

He further said that Himachal Pradesh was not West Bengal and added that such kind of behaviour will never be tolerated in Dev Bhoomi (Land of Gods).