Five students suspended, 25 booked: Central University of Kerala students resist ‘saffronisation’, accuse admin of targeting Muslims
Afshaque EJ | 09 October 2026 | Maktoob
A student protest at the Central University of Kerala (CUK) escalated after the university administration suspended five students for two weeks and police registered a case against 25 others, with student organisations accusing the administration of facilitating the “saffronisation” of the campus.
The suspensions followed protests against a two-day national seminar organised at the university to mark the 150th anniversary of Vande Mataram. The suspension order, issued on Thursday evening with immediate effect, directed the five students to vacate their hostels and leave the campus.
Following the order, students confronted proctor K Sreekumar, demanding that the suspensions be revoked and that he resign. The proctor was later seen being escorted by police amid the escalating protests.
Student organisations, except the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), subsequently marched towards the administration block and launched a blockade on Thursday evening. The protest continued on Friday, with students boycotting classes and demanding the withdrawal of the suspension order.
Meanwhile, activists of the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) Kasaragod district committee, who marched towards the university demanding the revocation of the suspensions, were met with water cannons deployed by the Kerala Police