Objections mount over draft Kerala University rules restricting campus political activities

Thiruvananthapuram, Objections have mounted against a draft Kerala University Students Code of Conduct Regulations proposed by university officials. The draft includes restrictions on political activities on campus and affiliated colleges, even though nothing has been finalized or implemented yet. The regulations would grant heads of departments on the university campus and principals of affiliated colleges the power to take action against students found violating the proposed rules.

This could include suspension, with unpaid fines treated as arrears leading to revenue recovery, property attachment, withholding of examination results, and potential criminal proceedings under certain acts. The Kerala University Employees Union opposes the proposed regulations, stating they seek to restrict political activities on campuses and are undemocratic, threatening protests if the regulations are implemented.

The union contends that implementing such restrictions would curtail students' participation in organizational activities. The final code will only be prepared after discussions with stakeholders, including students, once the draft is finalized. Meanwhile, the Leader of the Opposition in the Keralam Assembly, Pinarayi Vijayan, condemned the proposed restrictions on student organizations on campuses, arguing that they stemmed from a fear of a questioning generation.

Vijayan emphasized the importance of student movements in the country's social and political development and called for preserving campuses as centers of ideological dialogue and struggles for rights.