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The Kerala unit of the SIO (Students Islamic Organization of India) took to the streets of Kochi to protest against Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rhetoric targeting Muslims during the election campaign in Rajasthan.

On Wednesday, April 24, activists from the Students Islamic Organization (SIO) in Kerala organized a protest rally in Kochi. The demonstration aimed to condemn Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s hate-filled speech targeting Muslims during his recent Lok Sabha election campaign in Rajasthan. The activists fervently raised slogans and demanded action against the prime minister during the protest.

During the protest, a group of students was seen carrying torches and a large banner that read, “Punish the hatemonger. Disqualify Narendra Modi’s candidacy… Resist Islamophoia… Resist Hindutva. etc.” Throughout the protest march, activists raised slogans against PM Modi and the RSS.

The protest stemmed from the Prime Minister’s remarks made during a rally in Rajasthan’s Banswara, where he hit out at the Congress over its wealth redistribution survey promise and said that the party, if voted to power, would distribute the country’s wealth to “infiltrators” and “those who have more children,” an apparent reference to Muslims. “It will be distributed to the infiltrators. Should your hard-earned money go to the infiltrators? Do you approve of this? The Congress manifesto says they will calculate the gold with mothers and sisters, get information about it, and then distribute that property. They will distribute it to whom? Manmohan Singh’s government had said that Muslims have the first right on the country’s assets,” PM Modi said.

In the wake of the hate speech that sparked widespread outrage across the nation, opposition leaders vehemently criticized PM Modi’s remarks, particularly those aimed at a specific community. Additionally, some leaders also urged the public to petition the Election Commission of India in response to the concerning statements made by the Prime Minister. Previously, the SIO Kerala Unit had also participated in a similar protest at Providence Girls Higher Secondary School in Kozhikode, where students were forbidden from wearing hijabs. The protest highlighted a broader issue regarding religious freedoms within educational environments.

Read AlsoRajasthan: Students Protest Against Suspension of Muslim Teachers – Reject “Conversion” and “Love- Jihad” Allegations

Featured Image Credits: SIO Kerala

Dhairya Chhabra

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Several students from colleges in North Campus have been abusing and harassing their peers from Kerala with highly discriminatory remarks in the classes and groups. 

Note: The following article contains mentions of threats and sexual harassment. 

The First Years have come forth with their first impression on the campus which with no doubt appears to be extremely sexist, bigoted and discriminatory. Reportedly students of various colleges of North Campus have made extremely discriminatory and insensitive marks towards students from Kerala Board. 

Following is a text sent in the Fresher’s class of B.com Honours where the student can be seen accusing their peers from Kerala as ‘frauds’

The student even went further and asked the Teacher to “throw them out” of the North Campus. The comments don’t just bring forward the indecency of students but also their blatant racism. The language used here shows the ingrained biases of merit among students. SFI unit of Ramjas College has openly protested against such behaviour and asked for appropriate action to be taken against those responsible for harming the college space that is deemed to be a safe and inclusive one for all. The unit has mailed the Principal regarding this issue and urged them to take stern action as soon as possible. 

“In recent times we have been seeing an increased level of intolerance among the larger society from the standpoint of Religion, Caste, Region, Gender and Race. As a student community, we must resist these sort of narrow narratives to maintain the inclusiveness of the Campus spaces.”

-SFI Ramjas in its Press Release

The xenophobic comments didn’t end there, Freshers have been harassing others in the unofficial groups to no extent. In its investigation, DU Beat found several such remarks made on other students that are highly offensive and discriminatory. 

“In the unofficial group for Ramjas students, some people started bullying and abusing. First, they went on with verbally harassing the female students but further, they started with their bigoted remarks that Keralites are ‘black’, and started blaming us(students from Kerala) that we have stolen their college seats.”

-A First-Year student from Ramjas College 

“Then the people targeting kept on saying that Keralites should move to the South Campus, mocking us again. Blatantly saying that students from Kerala got 100% marks through unfair means occupying good colleges such as Hindu and ‘jeopardizing his friends’ seats’.

-Shabeeb Areekode, a First-Year student from Ramjas College

Expressing his concern the CPI Rajya Sabha MP, Binoy Viswam has written a letter to Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu about the increasing hostility and hatred against students from Kerala and sought his intervention in the matter. 

Such remarks bring great dishonour and discredit to the students of Kerala who have worked hard to gain admission into reputed institutions of high rank. It further stigmatises students from applying and enrolling in these institutions,

-Binoy Viswam in his letter to the Vice President 

The entire focus shifted to students from Kerala when the ever scoring cut-offs dropped and about 2000 students from Kerala who scored a perfect 100 per cent secured their seats in North Campus colleges. Earlier Rakesh Pandey, a Professor from Kirorimal college also made some discriminatory and Islamophobic remarks against the students from Kerala where he termed it as “Marks Jihad”. 

The issue at hand is of grave concern. In such a discriminatory environment how will the students from Kerala receive equal treatment in their very own University Campus? The session for this year just began and this is the first impression that a student is receiving who hasn’t even visited the campus in offline space. This portrays the true image of the University that is considered to be among the top ones in our country and blurs the delusional sparkly image. 

Feature Image Credits: DU Beat Archives

Read Also: Kerala Students Sweep the Seats in the First Round of DU Admissions

Kashish Shivani

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A family friend of Delhi University professor Alan Stanley reveals how media trial in professor Stanley’s home state led to his death.

 

On the 19th of October, this Saturday, the body of DU professor Alan Stanley was found on the railway tracks at Sarai Rohilla. The police also suspect the 27-year-old Ad-Hoc professor at St. Stephens for the murder of his mother. His mother was found on the same day in their apartment in Pitampura. Police stated that she was found hanging from a ceiling fan in the apartment. Her mouth was stuffed with cloth and her hands were tied, they added.

 

The duo was facing abetment to suicide charges in Kerala. The charges were filed over the death of the professor’s stepfather, Wilson. His stepfather had committed suicide in December and the charges against the mother and son were filed by Wilson’s family.

 

This case became a media trial, and the ensuing aftermath was one of the reasons for Alan’s suicide, according to a family friend. The New Indian Express quotes the friend, TD Thomas, who said: “Last Saturday, Alan and Lissy told me over the phone that they cannot withstand the media trial and requested me to file a case in the court seeking CBI enquiry into Wilson’s death.” Thomas states that he had even met an advocate and was arranging the same when he got the news of their death.

 

According to Thomas, the civil case being fought between Alan and Wilson’s family was over his property was supposed to reach a verdict on November 4th. However, according to Thomas, Alan and Lissy used to get threatened by Wilson’s family over settling the matter, otherwise, they would ruin Alan’s life.

 

A few days before his death, a news article had appeared in a regional media outlet in Kerala which against Alan Stanley and his mother regarding the case. Thomas says that Alan told him that he wanted to end his own life as he could live in a world where he was subject to a media trial every day.  Thomas says “ He told me that he could not face his students and wanted to end his life as these allegations were coming out on print and social media.”

 

Feature image credits: DU Beat Archives.

Prabhanu Kumar Das

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