An undergraduate student of the MG College in Thiruvananthapuram was allegedly attacked by members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the student wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), late night on Sunday. The attacked student is a member of the Students’ Federation of India (SFI), the student wing of the Communist Party of India (Marxist). The Medical College police have registered a case and have named a member of the ABVP in the FIR. The others are being identified.
It is Kaushik, a first-year degree student of the college that was attacked, says Medical College SI. Kaushik hails from Devikulam in Munnar.
A video of the CCTV footage of the attack was released on the Facebook page of the SFI Thiruvananthapuram district committee. It shows some men running on the side of a road, apparently chased by a gang. From a corner, a man, believed to be Kaushik, is dragged by a few other men, some of whom are wearing helmets. They proceed to beat the man up with sticks and also kick him. The attackers then run away, leaving the injured man on the ground. He tries to get up but fails. Another man then comes to lift him up and take him away.
Another post on the SFI Facebook page says that Kaushik was attacked along with four other SFI members after they were working for the SFI – MG College unit meeting. The video shows that Kaushik had fallen when they were being chased away and was dragged to a corner and beaten up.
The Medical College SI stated that one of the attackers has been identified.
“One of the attackers has been identified as Aromal. There are six more men, all belonging to the ABVP, who were part of the gang that attacked Kaushik. A case has been registered at the Medical College Police Station and Kaushik has been admitted to the Medical College hospital,” says the SI.
After the attack, the SFI unit of the college led protest march towards the college and sat outside the gate in protest, seeking action against those accused.