Kerala University students protest against Governor: 4 SFI workers arrested, over 100 booked

NEW DELHI: Four activists of the Student's Federation of India (SFI), the students' wing of the ruling CPI(M), have been arrested in connection with a protest staged by the outfit against Governor Arif Mohammed Khan at the Kerala University Senate campus here, police said on Wednesday.

They were arrested on Tuesday evening and released on bail later, Cantonment Police said. "A case was registered against over 100 SFI activists. The arrest of four of them was recorded and they were released on bail," a police officer said. The case was registered for unlawful assembly, taking out a march without permission and so on, he added.

The Senate campus, located in the heart of the city, witnessed the dramatic protest of the Left students' union on Tuesday. Despite the tight security laid by police, the SFI activists had forcefully opened the closed gates of the campus and ran towards the Senate Hall where Khan was participating in the seminar.

Though the police closed the doors and windows of the seminar hall and prevented the protesters from entering inside, they engaged in a minor scuffle with the law enforcers. The SFI activists later staged a sit-in at the portals of the Senate Hall and held a protest march through the campus. Governor Khan later criticised the police over the protest.

When reporters asked why the protesters were not arrested, a fuming Khan told them to ask the question to the city police commissioner. The ruling CPI(M) and the SFI have been at loggerheads with Governor Khan over various issues for some time.