Overview
- Sixteen students at Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit were suspended after an inquiry found they allegedly staged a mock cremation of the vice‑chancellor, manhandled her and tried to damage university property.
- The university syndicate offered to revoke suspensions for most students if they tendered unconditional apologies while extending the suspension of four others, a condition the students have rejected.
- Students and SFI activists have maintained a prolonged relay hunger strike and street protests to demand unconditional reinstatement and permission to sit exams, drawing visits from opposition leaders and wider left‑wing political support.
- A protest in Thiruvananthapuram turned confrontational when police used water cannons repeatedly and activists climbed onto a water‑cannon vehicle to hang banners, and police said they will file cases over damage and trespass.
- The dispute is now before the courts after conflicting Kerala High Court orders on exam access and a Supreme Court direction to resolve the matter, raising questions about the limits of judicial intervention, campus discipline rules and students’ right to education.