Students forced to take part in ‘SFI’ stir

Students, teachers and parents who resisted the move were
allegedly abused by them and threatened with dire consequences. SFI
leadership, however, denied their involvement in the incident.

“We are not short of activists and we would never force anyone to join our agitations,” said SFI state secretary A.N.Shamsir.

School
authorities said that by 11.15 a.m. the gang of about 50 students
barged into Plus-two classrooms and asked the students to join them in
the Secretariat march. When the school authorities objected to this,
the youths said that they were acting on the instruction of the SFI
Palayam area committee.

Some students who managed to escape were
chased and literally held hostage by the group. Plea by the parents of
some students to release their children fell on deaf ears. Policemen
who were present at the scene, however,did not interfere.

School
authorities said that more than 300 students were forced to walk all
the way to Sanskrit College. Later in the afternoon, as directed by the
youths, the students took out a silent march to the Secretariat
condemning the `violent agitation’ by the KSU. Students of some other
government schools in the city also took part in the march. By 3 p.m.
the students were allowed to return to their schools.