Veer Balidani Swa. Vishal Kumar was not merely a 19-year-old student; he was a symbol of conviction, cultural pride and fearless nationalism. A graduate student of NSS College Konni and Nagar President of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) Chengannur, Vishal was brutally murdered on July, 2012, within the premises of Chengannur Christian College by radical Islamists affiliated with Campus Front of India (CFI), the student wing of banned outfit Popular Front of India. This was not an isolated act of violence, it was a politically motivated murder that exposed the deep-rooted radicalism operating in Kerala’s campuses.
Roots abroad, Heart in Bharat
Born in Saudi Arabia and raised with early schooling in the United Kingdom, Vishal had every opportunity to pursue a comfortable life abroad. His parents, both working overseas, encouraged him to continue his education there. Yet Vishal chose a different path. Against all odds and parental hesitation, he returned to Bharat with a firm resolve to study in his motherland and dedicate his life to its progress. He joined NSS College Konni and actively involved himself in ABVP and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh activities, believing that nation-building begins with youth awakening.
Vishal played a pivotal role in strengthening ABVP activities in the region. He initiated shakhas, mobilised students and fearlessly raised his voice against forced religious conversions and dangerous tactics such as Love Jihad practised by Islamic fundamentalist groups like PFI on college campuses. This uncompromising stand made him a target. Hostility towards Vishal grew steadily among Campus Front activists, who viewed his cultural assertion and organisational growth as a direct challenge to their agenda.
A planned and ruthless assault
On July 16, 2012, various student organisations were present on Changannur Christian College campus to welcome first-year undergraduate students. Vishal and fellow ABVP karyakarthas displayed portraits of Saraswati Maa and Swami Vivekananda, symbolising Bharatiya culture and distributed sweets to newcomers. This peaceful cultural gesture provoked Campus Front activists, who abused Saraswati Maa and Vivekananda and threatened ABVP workers to stop immediately. Despite ABVP’s attempts to pacify the situation, a violent confrontation followed.
The CFI workers advanced violently towards ABVP Karyakartas and attacked. One of them stabbed Vishal in the left flank with a knife drawn from his hip. When other ABVP workers tried to help, they were also attacked brutally and badly wounded by radicalists. While being taken to the hospital, Vishal reportedly informed a friend that he had been stabbed by CFI members this statement was later recorded by the prosecution. Despite being shifted to a Hospital in Chengannur, Vishal succumbed to his injuries. The attackers fled, while witnesses later testified that several CFI workers involved were not even students of the college.
A lingering question of justice in Kerala
More than a decade later, the question continues to haunt Kerala’s conscience: why has no one been held accountable even after twelve long years? Despite the gravity of the crime, the legal process has delivered only disappointment. Of the twenty individuals named in the charge sheet, nineteen stood trial yet all were ultimately acquitted, leaving the victim’s family and the public without justice.
At the time of the incident, the Kerala Police, operating under a Congress-led government, displayed a troubling reluctance to act decisively. Arrests were delayed for months, allowing crucial time to slip away in an investigation where urgency was paramount. Even more concerning was the appointment of a Special Public Prosecutor an essential step in serious criminal cases which occurred only eight years later, and only after prolonged legal battles that reached the Supreme Court.
The change in political leadership did little to alter the trajectory of the case. Successive governments, including the later Communist administration, failed to treat the matter with the seriousness it deserved, despite the brutal murder of a young student. The eventual transfer of the case to the Crime Branch came not as a proactive measure by the state, but only after sustained public pressure and persistent intervention by ABVP.
This pattern of delay and indifference, points to a deeper institutional failure. Across political regimes, both Congress and Communist governments proved unable or unwilling to ensure a robust pursuit of justice. The message this sends is deeply unsettling: a state that appears soft on radical violence and indifferent to the suffering of victims. This is the uncomfortable cost of the much-touted “Kerala Model” impunity for extremists and prolonged injustice for victims.
From testimony to silence
Early testimonies from activists affiliated with the Students Federation of India (SFI) and the Kerala Students Union(State Level Unit of NSUI in Kerala) had explicitly acknowledged the violent presence and activities of Campus Front on college campuses. However, these statements were later retracted or turned hostile—an abrupt reversal widely seen as the result of political pressure exerted by their parent organisations. This deliberate silencing of earlier admissions laid bare a deeply troubling nexus between radical campus groups and mainstream political parties, undermining the integrity of the judicial process and revealing how political expediency was placed above truth, accountability and justice.
Justice delayed is justice denied
Despite the dying declaration, weapon recovery and identification of accused. Despite 220 documents, 55 eye witnesses and 50 material exhibits, the court held prosecution failed. Delays in investigation has ultimately weakened the case. Vishal Kumar’s sacrifice stands as a grim reminder of the dangers posed by campus radicalism and political appeasement. His balidan calls for introspection, accountability and a renewed commitment to ensuring that educational institutions remain spaces of learning not battlegrounds of extremist violence. With due respect with the Judicial system, ABVP has decided to appeal this case in the higher courts. We expect justice will be served for sure to Vishal Kumar.
Justice for Veer Balidani Swargiya. Vishal is not just a demand it is a moral imperative!
