Thiruvananthapuram: The Malayalam film industry has condemned the attack on students at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), terming it a "criminal offence" deserving the harshest punishment.
In a Facebook Post, actor Prithviraj Sukumaran said unleashing violence in an institution of knowlege was "murder of all democratic values".
"Regardless of what ideology you stand for, what cause youre fighting for, what end you might be hoping for, violence and vandalism is not and never will be the answer to anything.
For a nation that won its independence from colonialism through a non-violence, non-cooperation movement, it's truly deplorable that today the word 'revolution' is automatically equated to a call for violence and lawlessness," Prithviraj wrote in his Facebook post.
"To be entering an institution of knowledge and education, and unleashing violence on students with scant regard for law and order is an absolute murder of all democratic values," he said.
It's a criminal offence of the highest order that deserves the harshest punishment.
But also do remember, any form of protest that endorses violence is an equally condemnable act, the "Celluloid" actor added.
Actress Manju Warrier too expressed shock over the visuals of bleeding faces of students on television.
"JNU was always a symbol of knowledge in this country. Many who studied in JNU are now leaders and ruling us.
Though their politics may differ, their patriortism cannot be questioned," she wrote in a post.
Though their ideologies may differ, the violence witnessed in the institution, wherein even outsiders had entered the campus and attacked the students, cannot be justified, she said adding "we cannot keep mum. We need to stand with them", she added.
Actor Tovino Thomas said, "When the students of a premier university get attacked by cowards without faces and the system fails to stand firm against this, something is seriously and gravely wrong in this country!".
"Whatever be your political affiliation, if you are still believing that everything is normal here, you are terribly mistaken! Unless and until those cowards are caught and punished for what they did to our students, this nation is not going to sleep!."
Actor Murali Gopy described the attack on students as "Black Shirts' terror @ JNU!" History suggests that this is yet another ominous portent of a democracy's steady decline into a fascist Black Hole, he wrote on his facebook page.
While Nivin Pauly described the attack on students as "horrifying and frightening" and brutality at its worst, actor-turned director Geetu Mohandas said, "What the hell is going on! What next? A war against children ?.
She also shared a picture of bleeding Aishe Ghosh, the President of JNUSU.
(With inputs from PTI)