Kasaragod, Students held protests at the Central University of Kerala on Tuesday against the presence of J Nandakumar, national convener of an RSS-linked organisation, at a Vande Mataram-related event at the institution.
Besides opposing Nandakumar’s presence at the event, activists of various student organisations, including Kerala Students Union and Muslim Students Federation , also contended that many of them were denied entry to the programme despite registering for it. Left affiliated student organisations, Students Federation of India and All India Students’ Federation , also joined the protest. The protesting students, carrying flags of their respective student organisations, shouted slogans against the RSS outside the venue and engaged in push-and-pull with the police in order to gain entry to the programme.
The two-day National Seminar, being held on October 6 and 7, on the ‘150th Anniversary of Vande Mataram’ is being organised by the Sahitya Akademi in collaboration with the Akhil Bharatiya Sahitya Parishad and the university as part of the nationwide observance marking 150 years of the national song.
Later, a university official claiming to be the Dean of Student Affairs told reporters that he was not aware why registered students were being denied entry and said he will have to ask the organisers of the programme.
