Massive Student Rally Marks Conclusion of SFI’s 18th All India Conference in Kozhikode

Kozhikode: In a show of strength and unity, thousands of students marched through the streets of Kozhikode as part of a grand rally that marked the conclusion of the 18th All India Conference of the Students’ Federation of India (SFI). The rally, which began from the premises of Malabar Christian College, saw over 50,000 students participating and culminated at KV Sudheesh Nagar near the Kozhikode beach. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurated the public meeting held at the Kozhikode Beach.

Addressing the gathering, the Chief Minister said that ever since its formation, SFI has played a vigilant role in addressing students’ issues across the country. “Today, the organisation carries an even greater responsibility. On one side, attempts are being made to saffronise the education system and rewrite history, while on the other, actions are being taken that threaten the very existence of the nation,” he said.

At the concluding session held at the Aspin Courtyard near the Kozhikode beach, named the Sitaram Yechury–Nepaldev Bhattacharya stage, Adarsh M Saji was elected as the new SFI All India President and Srijan Bhattacharya as the General Secretary.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan addresses the public meeting at Kozhikode Beach during the SFI national conference

The conference also elected a new secretariat including Subhash Jackar, T Nagaraju, Rohidas Yadav, Sathyesh Layuva, Shilpa Surendran, Pranav Kharji, M Shivaprasad, and C Mridula as Vice Presidents; Aishe Ghosh, G Aravind Sami, Anil Thakur, K Prasannakumar, Debanjan Dev, P S Sanjeev, Srijan Dev, and Muhammad Athiq Ahmad as Joint Secretaries. An 87-member Central Executive Committee was also selected.

The delegate session of the conference, which began on the 27th, was inaugurated by journalist Sashikumar and theatre artist M K Raina. Flags brought from the memorials of 122 student martyrs who laid down their lives in struggles for rights were raised in the conference city.

Over three days at Palestine Solidarity Nagar, on the Sitaram Yechury–Nepaldev Bhattacharya stage, key decisions were made to guide student resistance against the ongoing saffronisation and corporatisation of higher education, and the use of Governors as political tools in universities.

With the slogan “Education is a right, unity is the way, diversity is our strength,” the conference discussed critical issues affecting education in India. It resolved to intensify mass movements against the commercialisation and communalisation of education, setting a decisive direction for student activism across the country.