Students oppose police control room on campus

KOZHIKODE: SFI activists on Friday blocked the police from taking over the office of the Department Students' Union (DSU) for setting up a police control room on the campus.
Around 20 SFI activists protested when cops arrived to occupy the room. Later, police set up the control room at a book stall near the DSU office. A large posse of police has been deployed on the campus in view of the syndicate meeting scheduled to be held on Saturday.The Yuva Morcha has a declared a march to protest against alleged corruption in selection for the post of university assistants.
Meanwhile, university authorities have asked the dean of students welfare and DSU president to hand over the keys of the room currently utilized for Cyber Spot to the security officer to set up a police control room on the campus. In an order issued by the deputy registrar, the instrumentation engineer has been asked to remove computers from the room immediately.
The order said that the IG and SP of Malappuram have promised to establish "a control room exclusively for university with 25 police personnel with arms under a CI of police. For this, they have requested for an office space and vehicle parking area in an appropriate location."
The order further stated that, "After ascertaining the availability of space in the campus, it was found that the space formerly utilized by Cyber Spot and DSU (adjacent to Students Trap) is ideal for the same."
The other day, university vice-chancellor M Abdul Salam was admitted to the hospital after he developed uneasiness when SFI-DYFI activists barged into the administrative block in protest against the alleged corruption in the appointment. The VC told reporters on Friday that the activists intended to harm him. He alleged that the gas cylinder at the kitchen near the syndicate hall was opened and he had had a narrow escape.
Salam said the varsity had no connection with the Tenhipalam panchayat president who was accused of taking bribes for the appointment. He claimed that the selection list would be cancelled and a report given to the governor if it was proved that there had been irregularity in the selection.Meanwhile, DSU has declared that the students will resist the move to 'convert the union office' into a police camp at any cost.
In a press release issued here on Friday, DSU joint secretary Akhila K asked the governor, who is the varsity chancellor, to disband the corrupt university authorities.
"The VC who ordered to covert the union office into a police camp reminds us of Hitler. Students have no responsibility to help the armed police give protection to the corrupt authorities," the statement said.