The Students’ Federation of India (SFI) has called for a statewide boycott of classes in Kerala on Thursday, July 10, 2025, in protest against what it describes as an attempt by Governor Rajendra Arlekar to “saffronise” State-funded universities.
Addressing a press conference on Wednesday, SFI State President M. Sivaprasad said student members from both schools and colleges would abstain from classes and stage demonstrations at Central government offices across the State. The protest, he said, is aimed at resisting the Governor’s alleged moves to undermine the autonomy of Kerala’s higher education institutions.
Sivaprasad strongly criticised the appointment of temporary Vice-Chancellors by the Governor’s office, warning that SFI would not recognise their authority. He accused Raj Bhavan of pushing the ideological agenda of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), describing it as “Hindu majoritarian, anti-minority, and divisive.”
He also took aim at the Kerala Students Union (KSU) for what he called its lack of support for student-led resistance movements on campuses. Sivaprasad alleged that Opposition Leader V.D. Satheesan had deliberately prevented KSU from participating in the agitation, implying alignment with the RSS’s objectives.
In a pointed political attack, SFI alleged that the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) were working in tandem in the State’s academic sector. He cited the Governor’s nomination of Congress and Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) leaders to the Calicut University Senate, claiming those nominees had attended RSS-linked events.
SFI also pushed back against Satheesan’s recent comments, where he labelled the organisation’s protests at Kerala University in Thiruvananthapuram as “hooliganism supported by police.” In response, Sivaprasad defended the movement’s legitimacy, asserting that SFI did not rely on political power to fight for its causes. He said 30 SFI members were currently in judicial custody following recent demonstrations at the Senate Hall campus, during which several sustained injuries in clashes with police.
Further escalating his criticism, Sivaprasad accused Satheesan of being a “covert RSS sympathiser,” pointing to a viral image that allegedly shows the Congress leader paying respects to an RSS ideologue at a Sangh Parivar event.
In response, Satheesan reiterated his condemnation of SFI’s actions, arguing that their protests had disrupted university operations and endangered students’ academic progress. Speaking in Kochi, he alleged that the police had offered tacit support to the demonstrators during the Senate Hall incident and accused SFI members of attacking KSU activists on multiple campuses.
Defending the Congress party’s position, Satheesan insisted it remained firmly opposed to the Governor’s efforts to influence State universities and stated that it did not require SFI’s endorsement to continue its resistance.
