Sudhi Sadan, one of the student nominees to the Kerala University Senate by Governor Arif Mohammed Khan, is one among the two accused arrested in an attempt to murder case. Sudhi, an Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) activist, is one of the four student representatives who were nominated to the senate by the Governor. After he was arrested, the Governor distanced himself from Sudhi, stating that he didn’t know Sudhi ‘individually’.

Sudhi and Vishnu, both ABVP activists, were arrested by the Pandalam police, in connection with a clash that broke out at Pandalam NSS College. Students Federation of India (SFI) had erected a banner against the Governor, which was countered by ABVP. Things escalated and on December 21, SFI and ABVP activists in the college clashed during the Christmas celebrations, in which seven persons, including a person with disabilities, sustained injuries. Later, the RSS office in Pandalam and the house of an ABVP activist were also vandalised. 

Sudhi and Vishnu were booked in this case and remanded to judicial custody. When asked about this, the Governor told reporters, “I do not know that person. I have received recommendations but do not know them individually.” However, he refused to disclose from whom he got the recommendations.

Governor Arif Mohamed Khan, on November 30, nominated as many as 17 members to the senate. Among the notable nominations are Shyam Lal and Kavitha OB, both serving as school headmasters, and PS Gopakumar and S Mini Venugopal, who are school teachers. Students nominated are Malavika Udayan (Fine Arts), Sudhi Sadan (Sports), Dhruvin SL (Science), and Abhishek D Nair (Humanities).

Read: In Kerala, Sangh Parivar nominees are entering varsity senates with Governor’s help