Geetha Sunil Pillai | 04 November 2026 | The Mooknayak
Kalady- Sixteen students, including six research scholars, have been suspended from Sree Sankaracharya Sanskrit University (SSUS) in Kalady, Kerala, following a dramatic protest staged by the Theatre Department against damaged lighting facilities on campus. The Students' Federation of India (SFI) has condemned the suspensions as a "witch-hunt" and called for solidarity protests in universities across India.
According to SFI President Adarsh M Saji and General Secretary Srijan Bhattacharyya, the suspensions were ordered by temporary Vice-Chancellor Sisa Thomas, whom the student organisation describes as a "known appointee of the Sangh Parivar." The SFI alleges that the action was based on "unproven and fabricated allegations" and that the administration targeted some of the university's most academically and culturally accomplished students.
The controversy began with protests within the campus demanding proper infrastructural facilities. As part of these protests, students of the Theatre Department organised a dramatic performance against the damaged lighting facilities in their department. The performance was staged around the theme of a "funeral of streetlights," portraying a damaged streetlight as a dead body. Visuals of the performance were widely circulated.
The SFI alleges that temporary VC Sisa Thomas deliberately misrepresented the students' creative expression as an attempt to organise a funeral for her. Consequently, students were suspended and false cases were filed against them.
The SFI also criticised Higher Education Minister Roji M. John for coming out in support of the Vice-Chancellor and describing the students' creative protest as "primitive." The organisation noted that the university is situated within the minister's constituency and that John was formerly the national president of the Congress-affiliated National Students' Union of India (NSUI).