Performing a mock funeral for a living person is widely considered one of the worst forms of insult and a deliberate attempt at character assassination of the person targeted. In an incident reflecting this form of protest, SFI men staged, on August 13, an abusive form of mock funeral for lady Vice Chancellor Dr Ciza Thomas at Sree Sankaracharya Sanskrit University, Kaladi, near Kochi. The “funeral” was carried out while the University Syndicate meeting was going on, with SFI boys and girls acting as if they were participating in a real funeral.
The incident has now triggered demands for action against those involved. The Save University Campaign Committee lodged a complaint before the State Home Minister, stating that the indecent protest against the VC had caused her severe mental trauma.
The Committee observed that SFI does not practise democratic methods of protest and instead resorts to character assassination and brutal mental harassment of academicians. It demanded immediate action against those responsible and has already sent a message to Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala in this regard.
The protest also went beyond the mock funeral, as SFI, the student wing of CPI(M) prevented the VC and some Syndicate members from leaving the campus after the Syndicate meeting.
According to reports, the VC asked the protesters what their demands were, but they failed to give a proper answer. The incident has further raised questions over the nature of the protest and the methods adopted by SFI on the university campus.
The latest incident has also brought back attention to earlier instances involving SFI and academicians in Keralam, indicating a recurring pattern of aggressive protests against those holding academic positions.
An SFI man assaulted former Ambassador T.P. Sreenivasan, the then Vice Chairman of the State Higher Education Council, on September 22, 2016, when he arrived at the venue of the Global Education Meet.
In another incident, SFI men created a symbolic grave for Principal Dr T.N. Sarasu of Government Victoria College, Palakkad, on March 31, 2016, the day of his retirement. The pattern continued with workers of the same organisation burning the chair of Dr N.L. Beena, Principal of Government Maharaja’s College, Kochi, on January 19, 2017.
Several other incidents have also been reported from different parts of the state. In some cases, lady professors were even physically assaulted for refusing to comply with SFI men’s ‘orders’. These earlier incidents have added to concerns over the methods being adopted by SFI against academicians and faculty members.
The latest protest has drawn condemnation from the State authorities as well. Kerala Governor Rajendra Viswanath Arlekar expressed anxiety and shock at the incident during his meeting with Chief Minister V.D. Satheeshan at Lok Bhavan on August 14. He also demanded strict action. Kerala Higher Education Minister Roji M. John condemned the SFI act.
The VCs’ collective in the state also condemned the SFI act and demanded immediate action against the culprits. They said that the visuals of the accused are very much available, yet no case has been registered against them. They termed this deplorable. Meanwhile, Dr Ciza Thomas is likely to file a complaint before the police on August 15.
