Overview
- The convocation at Maharaja’s College in Kochi was disrupted on Friday when SFI activists moved onto the stage, surrounded Higher Education Minister Roji M. John and forced him to abandon his address and leave the dais.
- Protesters said they were pressing for the immediate reinstatement of 16 students suspended from Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit, Kalady, and raised complaints about vacant teaching posts, lack of drinking water and delayed certificates.
- Police and campus security intervened to clear a path for the minister, a scuffle followed as activists continued to question him, and at least one student later received her certificate from the minister outside the ceremony.
- State leaders including Chief Minister V. D. Satheesan condemned the disruption as unacceptable and promised strict action or probes, while college authorities and teachers’ groups have called for formal inquiries and possible disciplinary measures.
- SFI officials insist the protest was peaceful; this episode highlights recurring tensions over student discipline, university autonomy and the close ties between campus unions and Kerala party politics that could shape how authorities respond next.