SFI stages protest against Governor at Kerala University campus

Thiruvananthapuram: The Students’ Federation of India (SFI) staged a protest at Kerala University's Senate campus on Tuesday against Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, accusing him of attempting to impose the RSS agenda and saffronise university spaces.
The protest was staged ahead of the Governor's arrival at the campus for a scheduled meeting in his capacity as Chancellor of the university. A group of Left-leaning student activists attempted to display a banner at the university gate that read, “We need Chancellor… Not Gandhi assassin Savarkar”. However, police intervened and prevented the group from unfurling the banner, leading to a minor scuffle.
Some protesters managed to enter the campus and displayed portraits of Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. B.R. Ambedkar at the entrance of the main building. These were removed by police before the Governor's arrival.
SFI state president P.M. Shivaprasad, addressing reporters later, said the protest was not aimed at creating tension but to symbolically remind the Governor of the values represented by Gandhi and Ambedkar. He reiterated SFI’s opposition to any efforts to saffronise educational institutions and vowed to resist the implementation of the RSS agenda on campuses.
The protest came a day after SFI activists had staged a demonstration in front of Raj Bhavan, following reports of photos of RSS founder K.B. Hedgewar and ideologue M.S. Golwalkar being displayed at the Governor's official residence, alongside an image of Bharat Mata.
The matter had earlier sparked controversy when CPI leader and Agriculture Minister P. Prasad boycotted a Raj Bhavan event on Environment Day, objecting to the display of a Bharat Mata portrait. CPI(M) leader and Education Minister V. Sivankutty also expressed concern, stating that constitutional functionaries must not turn government events into political platforms.
Defending the decision, Governor Arlekar had said there would be no compromise “whatsoever on Bharat Mata,” regardless of the pressure or criticism.