SFI, ABVP protests erupt at Kerala university over LLB valuation irregularities

Thiruvananthapuram: The SFI and ABVP activists were arrested and removed during separate protests at Kerala University here on Friday over alleged irregularities in the valuation of LLB examination answer scripts and the suspension of revaluation, officials said. SFI, the student wing of the CPI(M), held a protest march in the morning to the office of the University Registrar, which was blocked by police.

As the protesting students refused to disperse, police arrested them and took them to the police station, officials said. Later, SFI activists held a protest against the arrest of the students. By afternoon, ABVP, the student organisation of the RSS, held a protest at the entrance of the university, police said. The protest ended in a minor scuffle when police attempted to remove the students from the area.

Later, university authorities held discussions with student representatives. ABVP activists told reporters after the meeting that Vice Chancellor Mohan Kunnummel had accepted three of their demands and they were withdrawing the protest. "Vice Chancellor has given assurance that strict action will be taken against officials who were involved in irregularities in the valuation.

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Another demand was to refund the fees students paid for revaluation. The assurance is that it will be presented as an agenda in the next syndicate meeting and will be approved," ABVP leaders said. They said the Vice Chancellor had also assured them that the revaluation process would not be cancelled. "We have been told that revaluation will continue in the university," they said.

Meanwhile, SFI alleged that its demands were not met and said its protest would continue on Monday. The main demand of the protests was against alleged irregularities in the evaluation of BA LLB examination answer scripts, as several students who had failed allegedly passed in the revaluation. They also alleged that the university had suspended the revaluation process following the irregularities. The students alleged that they had to pay Rs 820 for revaluation of a single paper and demanded that the amount be returned.