People's Democracy

KERALA 

Students Win, UDF Govt Capitulates Ignominiously

C P Aboobacker

THE government of Kerala, controlled by the anti-people and anti-student United Democratic Front (UDF), has perforce ignominiously capitulated in face of the relentless struggle under the banner of the Students Federation of India (SFI), proving once again that police revolvers and grenades cannot cow down the masses if they are resolute and determined in their struggle against injustice. This great victory of the students community, in union with the youth and other mass organisations, has proved the mettle of the students movement in Kerala which has a history of great struggles. It is a story of how the steel was tempered with love and fellow-feeling in the community at large.

As it happened of late, the student who was illegally admitted to the Government Engineering College, Kozhikode, had had to be shunted out in the face of stiff opposition from the SFI.

As it is well known by now, the ruling outfit spread lie after lie through the electronic and print media in a most shameless way. Canard after canard appeared in the channels by way of panel discussions, news breaks and what not! Mr Chandy thus proved that he was a liar of the worst order, and he unabashedly lied to the legislators and the people umpteen times.

It has been reported in these columns how a student was illegally admitted to the Government Engineering College, Kozhikode, without any regard for the rules of admission and other tenets governing the admissions to and conduct of the professional courses. The assistant commissioner of police (ACP), Radhakrishna Pillai, fired against the protesting students when they were trying to save themselves from cruel police beating and grenade shelling.

At last, however, the ruling conglomeration had to terminate the illegitimate admission of the ineligible candidate to the said college, and now the said student is reportedly going to be admitted in a self-financing college. Though the MEA Engineering College, Pattikkad was the first self-financing college proposed by the UDF government and though the management of this college is headed by Syed Hyder Ali Thangal, the IUML supremo, it has denied admission to the said student. But there lies a story behind this decision of the college. The college is owned and run by Samastha Kerala Jam Iyyathul Ulema, a Sunni outfit, by and large a wholly pro-IUML organisation, but the “unholy” ties the IUML leadership forged in the last assembly elections with the AP faction of the Sunni organisation has estranged the Samastha from the IUML. The Samastha, therefore, reacted with a vengeance as soon as it got a chance to do so.

In this circumstance, the government approached another management to provide undue admission to its favoured student. One is not sure how far the university authorities will be able to ratify his admission, as it would create a bad precedent in the matter of admission to professional colleges. The UDF, known to be a law-breaking body, is now at the helm of affairs in the state and it is still persisting in its stubborn stance that the ACP who fired with his revolver upon students without any magisterial orders, will not be punished for his offence. Instead, it appointed an additional chief secretary, K Jayakumar, to enquire into the incident. Jayakumar is said to have reported that there was no reason whatsoever for the ACP to fire upon the students. But yet, on October 19, the chief minister shamelessly told the Kerala assembly that no punitive measure would be initiated against the ACP, except that he would be relieved of his law and order responsibility. This retention of a hooligan in police uniform in service is utter shamelessness on the part of the UDF government. The police are meant to maintain the law and order, but a police officer who fires upon a helpless crowd of students is nothing but goon in the guise of a saviour to the people. 

The report of the Jayakumar committee has not been placed before the assembly and the government has been using one excuse after another to evade its obligation to present the report before the assembly. Instead, it is out to use force on students and clamp cases against those who protest the police firing. M V Jayarajan, for example, was chargesheeted by the Kannur town police, for reasons known only to them, after he asked the students community to intensify their protest. The virtual criminal that the ACP is, has been exempted even from suspension while the opposition’s demand is for his suspension and a judicial enquiry into the case. The opposition leader in the state assembly, V S Achuthanandhan, has categorically stated that the struggle would continue until and unless a judicial enquiry is ordered into the police firing on the students.

The ACP’s act has led to many other developments in the state. Sources close to the chief minister say the ACP was not suspended because there is extraordinary pressure from one IUML minister who is a benefactor of the ACP --- and also a beneficiary. The government is thus trying to cover up the inhuman crime the ACP has committed.

ICE CREAM CASE IS

INFERNALLY HOT

In the meantime, an enquiry is going on into the notorious ice cream parlour case but it is said that the said ACP will be utilised to harass an alleged rival of the minister and get him booked in criminal cases so that he is taught a lesson. This man was once an accomplice of the minister but confessed his deeds in an earlier inquiry and now says that justice must be done to the victims in the parlour case.

In fact this criminal ACP is in charge of the enquiry regarding the suicide of two girls in the notorious ice cream parlour case. The High Court rejected the report prepared by the ACP as he had conducted no enquiry on the ground that no enquiry is necessary in this incident. Thus he tried to mislead the court and all other concerned persons. After rejecting the report from this ACP, the High Court then directed the government to submit a new report after a fresh enquiry.

Thus the refusal to take any punitive measure against the erring ACP is an act of gratitude on part of the vested parties that are parts of the Kerala ministry. 

In this matter too, Oomman Chandy told a lie to the legislators --- that it was not the report prepared by the said APC that was submitted to the court. Thus he again proved himself to be unfit to continue as the constitutional head of government in the state. The court records, on the contrary, say that it was indeed the report prepared by the said ACP that was given to the court. 

In sum, not something but everything is rotten in the parlours of the Kerala’s UDF government. This foul smell has now spread all over Kerala. Thus the ACP concerned is retained at Kozhikode, even if without the law and order responsibilities, in order to implicate the opponents of UDF bigwigs whose own necks are likely to get tightened in the noose in regard to the suicide of two girls. Their erstwhile accomplices have already revealed all the truth openly before the judicial authorities. These UDF bigwigs have now no chance to escape the legal measures awaiting them. They are likely to soon experience that in their case the ice cream is not cool but infernally hot.