Kerala, Calicut VCs Cancel Seminars On Kashmir; Row Erupts (Image-facebook/University of Kerala)

Kerala: The Vice Chancellors of Kerala University as well as Calicut University had drawn sharp criticism following their decision to cancel seminars relating to Kashmir and the recent Pahalgam attack. The university authorities cited national security concerns and labelled the event “anti-national.” The event had sparked widespread protests and accusations of political bias.

The Kerala University had cancelled the seminar by the Department of Tamil, which was scheduled to be held on May 9. Mohanan Kunnummal, the acting Vice-Chancellor, had labelled the session “anti-national,” reports Maktoob Media.

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The student organisation, SFI (Students’ Federation of India), had issued a strong condemnation of the Vice-Chancellor and accused him of aligning with the RSS ideology. The student body had demanded a formal apology, alleging the students were called “anti-national.”

The controversy erupted when a notice was issued under the ‘Friday Literary Circle’ at the Tamil Department. The organisers of the event had also shared an article titled, “Pahalgam attack: Truths drowned in nationalist frenzy” from a Tamil language website. The article criticised the Union government for manipulating nationalist emotions, especially in the context of the upcoming Bihar elections.

The HoD of the department, Hepsy Rose Mary A., following a demand for an explanation by the VC, had expressed her remorse and clarified that the event was organised without her prior knowledge. The research scholar who had coordinated the programme had also issued an apology.

Justifying his stance, Prof. Kunnummal said, “Those who now call for peace were previously supportive of the Hamas attack on Israel. Such positions are part of a political agenda.” He added, “It would be inappropriate for the university to permit an event that criticises Operation Sindoor, which was launched in retaliation for the Pahalgam attack.”

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Similarly, the University of Calicut had also faced scrutiny following a seminar on genocide in Kashmir, hosted by the EMS Chair of Marxian Studies, scheduled to be held on May 15, was cancelled.

The session, titled “Kashmiriyat and Hyper-Majoritarianism,” was cancelled citing the country’s “prevailing socio-political context” by Vice Chancellor P. Raveendran.