Thrissur: Six students from Sree Kerala Varma College in Kerala were suspended for forcefully conducting a‘beef festival’with in the campus to protest against the lynching of a man in Uttar Pradesh over abuzz of eating beef.
According to the government aided college, it has already taken an action against the students, all activists of Student Federation of India for serving beef inside the campus violating disciplinary rules of the institution.
The SFI activists, the students wing of CPI(M), had allegedly distributed beef and bread to students on October 1 as a symbolic protest against the ban of beef initiated in some states and the gruesome killing of 50-year-old Ikhlaq, who was lynched at Dadri over beef eating rumors.
CM Latha, college Principal said, non-vegetarian dishes are not encouraged within the college premises even during official functions and she has warned SFI activist not to distribute beef as it was against the custom of the institution.
“We are not against students’ protests. But, in this case, I had warned students not to distribute beef within the campus and advised them to conduct the protest outside the college premises if they are so particular to do so our college has a tradition of not serving non-vegetarian dishes even for official functions. So, the management felt that it was not fair to distribute beef within the campus,” principal added.
The activists of SFI and ABVP, students’ wing of BJP, had even clashed with each other over the conduct of the ‘festival’ the same day. The period of suspension would be decided by the disciplinary council of the college later, she added.
Founded by Maharaja of erstwhile Kochi state, Sree Kerala Varma College is now managed by Cochin Devaswom Board, an autonomous organisation under the state government.
