People's Democracy

BLATANT VIOLATIONS IN SELF-FINANCING COLLEGES

Youth & Students Wage Militant Struggle

Brutal Police Repression Unleashed

UNDER the leadership of the SFI, the student community of Kerala is waging a heroic struggle against the protesting against the total violation of rules and regulations regarding the admission process in the self-financing private colleges in the state. The SFI began its indefinite "professional college-counseling blockade" last week. This agitation, as in the past, is meeting with unprecedented police repression. Scores of students, including girl students, have been injured in the police attacks.

In a statement from Delhi, the central executive committees of DYFI and SFI strongly condemned the incidents of brutal police repression on the protesting youth and students at several places in Kerala.

The state government unleashed worse police terror against the struggle, lathicharging the youth and students indiscriminately at Thiruvananthapuram, Kozhikode, Kannur, Alleppy, Kottayam, Ernakulam and Kalpetta. Around 165 students and youth were seriously injured, among whom included more than 20 girls as well. Several students and youth leaders were injured, including DYFI all India president K N Balagopal, DYFI state secretary A Pradeep Kumar, SFI central committee member Sindhu Joy and P Biju. More than 400 students and youths were sent to jail.  The police had even fired many rounds of tear gas shells, including at the AKG centre, the state CPI(M) headquarters. This happened when the state committee meeting was going on. The state DYFI also extended support to the student agitation. The court banned this struggle but agitation has spread across the state.

The SFI and DYFI held a nationwide protest on July 6 against this brutality. In Delhi, a protest demonstration was organised in front of Kerela Bhavan on July 5 and an effigy of state chief minister Oomen Chandy was burnt. DYFI general secretary Tapas Sinha, SFI leader Pooran Chand and others participated in this action.

The state government, hand in glove with the management of the self-financing colleges, had failed to keep up the assurance given to the student community that 50 per cent of the seats in these colleges would be filled at government fees. As per the court verdict, in 50 per cent of seats belonging to the management quota, admission should be held either from the list of the Entrance Examination Commissioner or from another entrance examination conducted under the supervision of any former High Court judge.  But this year all the private institutions in the state are conducting their own entrance examination.  This is being done to facilitate the entry of those students who can pay high capitation fee. Even in a college controlled by the minister for co-operations, the policy of 50 per cent seats at government fee is being openly violated.  It must be noted here that during the last academic session when the students and youth protested against such violations, the government gave an assurance that in future all such problems would be resolved and as a result of the agitation the government was compelled to bring a bill in the assembly.  Though there were so many loopholes in the bill, there was a clause in it that 50 per cent seats should be given in government quota. To get this clause legally protected, the political parties and student youth organisations asked the state government that it should be included in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution so that the interests of the poor and meritorious students could be safeguarded.  But the government failed to do so.

Moreover, instead of following the guide lines set by the court and resolving the problems and irregularities in at least the current academic session, the private managements with connivance of the state government are blatantly violating the rules and regulations.

In such a background, the SFI decided to protest and with the youth joining hands in a massive scale, the agitation spread through out the state, adopting various modes including stopping the ongoing counseling process. What is important to note is the fact that the High Court of Kerala instead of directing the authorities to implement the set guidelines and the assurance made by the Antony government last year, has given an order to continue the counseling process, come what may, which is in itself a violation of court’s own verdict and undue intervention in the matters related to the executive, stated the DYFI and SFI in their statement.