Thiruvananthapuram, Nov 3: The Students Federation of India (SFI), the student wing of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), has resumed confrontational campus protests in Kerala following the change of government, but its silence over alleged irregularities in Public Service Commission (PSC) recruitment has raised questions about its engagement with issues affecting students and job aspirants.
Since the Congress-led government headed by Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan assumed office, SFI demonstrations have been reported at Calicut, Kalady and Kerala universities. Some of these protests have escalated into confrontations with the police, marking the organisation’s return to an active street-protest campaign.
The renewed agitation contrasts with the relatively limited protests during the previous government led by Pinarayi Vijayan. A major exception was SFI’s campaign against then Governor Arif Mohammed Khan, who also served as Chancellor of state universities.
The change in the organisation’s protest activity has become particularly visible in its confrontations with the new government. Last week, SFI activists protested against State Higher Education Minister Roji M. John when he visited Maharaja’s College in Kochi to attend a convocation ceremony.
The Satheesan government and Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala have adopted a firm position on campus demonstrations, with several protests resulting in clashes with police. However, the PSC recruitment controversy has not drawn a comparable public response from the student organisation.
The investigation into alleged irregularities in PSC examinations and appointments has led to the arrest of a senior commission official and a former employee. The Special Investigation Team has also questioned PSC Chairman M.R. Baiju and three other commission members.
Investigators have issued notices to the remaining 12 members of the 16-member commission. All 16 members were appointed during the previous Vijayan government.
The controversy concerns the integrity of a recruitment process through which thousands of young people seek government employment. Its findings could have implications for candidates who depend on a transparent and credible selection system.
SFI’s stated role as a student organisation makes the issue particularly relevant to its constituency, which includes students and government job aspirants. Yet, while the organisation has returned to visible campus mobilisation against the new government, it has remained silent on the recruitment controversy.
The contrast has placed its response to the PSC investigation under scrutiny, raising questions about whether its activism extends to issues directly affecting the employment prospects of young people.
