Now, more stories unfold regarding the Kerala University Youth Festival bribes and the suicide of Shaji, one of the festival judges. This journal reported a detailed story on March 15 in this regard. According to the latest reports, A A Akshay, Student Federation of India (SFI) State vice president and central committee member, had complained to Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPM) State secretary M V Govindan that a former SFI secretary had offered Rs 5 lakhs for leaking the information regarding the judges of the competition. Akshay was the programme sub-committee convener of the Youth Festival, and his complaint was against J J Abhijith, a former SFI Thiruvananthapuram district committee member and one of the former area committee members of CPM. Akshay’s complaint reportedly said that Abhijith had called him on the phone and asked him to leak the details of the judges for the dance items of the Youth Festival. And Rs 5 lakhs was the price for the ‘classified information’. And it is alleged that CPM State Secretary M V Govindan did not take any action.
Reports suggest that Abhijith was expelled from the above committees when his video was leaked, which allegedly showed him taking alcoholic drinks after participating in the ‘anti-drug campaign’ organised by DYFI, the youth wing of CPM. There were allegations that SFI leaders were behind that bribery case. The issue was exposed when the SFI leaders in the Thiruvananthapuram district clashed with the office bearers of the Kerala Varsity Students Union during the Youth Festival. More news came out as the physical confrontations and Shaji’s suicide turned controversial and were exposed before the public.
There are allegations that in a stabbing case, the accused was a volunteer for the Youth Festival, and he was present when the ‘judge’ Shaji was tortured. It is reported that Aromal, one of the former SFI area secretaries, is an accused in the cases in connection with stabbing a student at University College and beating another student at Sanskrit College, and he was reported to be a volunteer for the Youth Festival. The incident reveals that he is still active in SFI despite his expulsion from the organisation.
There were reports of clashes between the workers of SFI and KSU, the student wing of Congress. And the Vice Chancellor cut short the Youth Festival abruptly. The accused from both organisations were booked. KSU has alleged that SFI workers attacked its (KSU’s) workers from the colleges where they (KSU workers) lead the student unions. The clashes reportedly took place when the students from the colleges, with student unions controlled by KSU, won some competitions.
KSU won the college students union in Mar Ivanios College after 24 years. KSU has complained to Governor Dr Arif Mohammed Khan that SFI goons had threatened its people. However, SFI leaders accused KSU and Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) men of messing up the Festival. SFI is also in an unenviable plight in connection with the suicide of the Festival jury and dance trainer P N Shaji. Shaji had faced bribery charges in connection with the margamkali (a sort of dance). But, his suicide note pleaded innocence. The Opposition parties and student bodies hold SFI responsible for Shaji’s death.
From the very beginning, the Festival was gripped by controversy because it was named ‘Intifada’. ABVP petitioned Kerala Governor Dr Arif Mohammed Khan against this unacceptable naming, and right-thinking people expressed their opposition to this term coined by Hamas terrorists. BJP and ABVP came out with strong opposition. And the VC ordered the removal of the name.
Thus, the very Youth Festival reveals the violent face of SFI further. And CPM is always at their rescue. It is the order of the day, whether it is the cases of Siddarth’s murder, Shaji’s suicide or bribes in Youth Festival competitions.
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