Kozhikode: The Gurudeva College of Advanced Studies in Koyilandi has suspended four SFI activists who assaulted principal Sunil Bhaskaran on Monday. The students who faced the punishment are second-year BBA student Teju Sunil, third-year BBA student Teju Lakshmi, second-year BCom student Amal Raj and third-year psychology student Abhishek S Santhosh.
These students were part of the group that wanted to set up a help desk at the college, which later became the major reason for the skirmish with the head of the institution. "The students are suspended with immediate effect for manhandling college officials and for their intervention in the administrative affairs of the college," the suspension note said.
Since the incident on Monday, the college has remained shut. Skirmishes between the principal and the students began when SFI activists attempted to open a help desk for an integrated UG programme. SFI claimed that they had sought permission to open such a facility, but the principal assaulted its area committee president Abhinav, who is not a student of the college, which damaged his eardrum.
But the principal alleged he was beaten up by SFI leaders after he asked them to wait for a few minutes as he was attending an online meeting.
The CCTV visuals of students roughing up Bhaskar went viral after news channels reported the incident.
Both the principal and the SFI leader sought treatment at different hospitals on Monday. Koyilandy police registered cases on the complaints by both parties.
On Bhaskar's complaint, police registered cases under seven sections of Bharatiya Nyay Samhita against 15 unidentified persons. Police also registered cases against the principal and college staff secretary Rameshan on a complaint by Abhinav for assaulting him physically and threatening him.
On Tuesday, an SFI leader's speech in a march raked up another controversy when he said that Bhaskar would not be allowed to walk on two legs. "The principal who assaulted the SFI leader will not walk to the college any more on his two legs," SFI area secretary Navatej said. "These are not empty words, we can do so," he added.
"SFI knows how to handle this kind of a teacher. We are keeping our peace now. We did not plan to assault the principal and send him to the hospital. But if we had, we would have done that too," Navtej said.
