Thiruvananthapuram: Exposing the likely patronisation of unruly student leaders by political parties, a few activists of the Students' Federation of India (SFI) who ran riot on the campus of the University College in Thiruvananthapuram are eyeing recruitment by the Kerala Police. An inquiry is under way to find how SFI leaders who are accused in the recent stabbing case have found a place in the rank list for police recruitment.
It has come to light that R Shivaranjith and Nasim, prime accused in the stabbing of another SFI activist Akhil on Friday, are awaiting call to become police constables as their names are on the rank list published by the Kerala Public Service Commission (PSC).
It is alleged that the criminal background of AN Nasim, the secretary of SFI's college unit, was overlooked as he made it to the 28th rank on the list, in all likelihood with the help of leaders from the Communist Party of India (Marxist), the parent party of SFI. Nazeem is the second accused in the attack on Akhil.
Nasim was earlier accused of attacking a cop. Efforts are also on to help him in the latest stabbing incident which is being treated as an attempt-to-murder case , it is said.
In the rank list, the first accused in the Akhil attack case Shivaranjith has secured the top rank.
The list of successful candidates from the University College doesn't end here. The second-rank holder P P Pranav is a member of the SFI unit committee, which has been termed as a gang of criminals by students.
The rank list was released on July 1 by the PSC for recruitment of police constables for Kannur-headquartered KAP-4 Battalion.
The intelligence wing of the Kerala Police has started an investigation into the allegations that the SFI leaders were illegally allowed to give the constable recruitment test at the University College itself. The wing will gather information from the PSC too.
It is alleged that they were allowed to write the test in the University College itself due to political influence and got top ranks in the exam written by tens of thousands of candidates by cheating. It is in this scenario that the intelligence wing has decided to approach the PSC to inspect their hall tickets and other details.
It has also decided to inform the Home Department about the criminal background of these accused before appointment.
A minor altercation among students over singing of songs in the canteen of the University College flared up into a full-blown campus fight on Friday leading to the stabbing of a third-year politics student Akhil.
Akhil had said that SFI leader Nasim grabbed and held him firmly so that he could be stabbed by Shivaranjith, the SFI unit president at the college.