SFI goons threatened girls for filing nomination in Students’ Union Election.
A blatant story of CPI (M) fascism is reported from Kannur University Centre Campus, Kannur district, the epic centre of CPI (M) violence against RSS-BJP workers in Kerala. Four girl students of Journalism PG have sought police protection, thanks to a simple reason: they filed the nomination papers for the students’ union election. TP Sumayya Beevi, P Jasla, PK Fanusha and Najiya Gafoor filed their nomination without bowing to the SFI diktat. Sumayya Beevi told Organiser that filing a nomination is alien to the students in that campus. Students came to know about the election when the SFI posters stated that a panel had been elected unopposed.
As soon as the girls decided to contest, SFI goons including girls asked them not to go for that. When they refused to comply, SFI guys started showering abuse on them. They even told that they were worse than Red Street women. Their girl comrades also joined them. They threatened the girls that if they go ahead with the nomination, they would have to face the same fate as that of TP Chandrasekharan, the rebel CPI (M) leader (who was brutally assassinated three years ago by alleged CPI (M) killers). They even tried to evict the girls from their rented houses. These goons even promised to pay total annual expenses, including study fees, of these girl students if they withdraw the nomination.
While the girls were returning after filing the nomination, SFI students attacked them. They even pulled their thattam, the traditional Muslim headgear worn by women. Consequently the girls went to police station to lodge a complaint against the SFI attack. The Sub Inspector of Police (SI) told them that he had already received a complaint from some other girls against them. He said that the complaint was against ragging them and insulting them by calling out caste names. SI discouraged Sumayya and friends from further pressing the complaint. Then they met the Superintendent of Police (SP); he was sympathetic towards the girls. Next day, the university Head of the Department (HOD) told the girls to go to the aforesaid police station ‘conciliation’. The girls engaged an advocate who told them that he would go first and they could come later if it was necessary. But, when the advocate reached the station, he realised that the SI had plotted a ‘spot arrest’ of the girls.
When they escaped the spot arrest, they heard from their friends that the SFI, with the help of the DYFI and the CPI (M) goons, were planning to attack them. This prompted the girls to call a press conference. During the press meet, Sumayya and her friends stated that they were under the SFI threat and they needed police protection. Next day, the HOD asked the girls to read a statement prepared for a press meet to be convened by the SFI. The girls asked for the draft statement in advance. Then the HOD forwarded it by mail to the girls. The statement read that they were not contesting the elections and they had no complaint against the SFI workers. The SI also compelled the girls to comply with that. The SFI people informed the girls’ parents that their wards would be trapped in fake cases. But, the SI and the HOD are now in an embarrassing situation as the girls informed them that they had recorded their phone conversation that the complaints against them were fabricated ones. And the HOD had forwarded the above-mentioned draft statement from his personal mail ID.
Superintendent of Police (SP) had provided police protection to the girls on the days of the scrutiny of nomination as well as union election. Sumayya told Organiser that she and her friends had no idea of what would happen when they would go back to college on October 26 after Navaratri holidays.
—T Satisan, Kerala
