Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala University Youth Festival was suspended on Monday amid complaints of mismanagement, bribery and clashes between student unions. Vice Chancellor Mohanan Kunnumal issued a directive to suspend the declaration of results and also stopped the closing ceremony scheduled for Monday.
Protests were seen early on on Monday, the last day of the festival, at the Senate Hall, the main venue of the festival. A group dance was scheduled, but the participants staged a sit-in inside the hall. This happened after the organizers decided not to publish the results of the Thiruvathira competition, which could have affected the overall results.
Participants from various institutions expressed dissatisfaction, claiming that the organizers only addressed some appeals and ignored others. After the Appellate Committee meeting on Monday morning, the organizers announced the rescheduling of the Margamkali and Thiruvathira competitions.
The results of other events in which complaints were made were also withheld. A third prize was added in the Mohiniyattam competition due to a calculation error, while appeals regarding Nadanapatu and Mono Acts were rejected. In the Ottamathullal transgender category, the judges had decided not to choose the winners as the contestants were not up to the standards. However, the Appellate Committee decided to award the prize to one participant.
The committee also mentioned that they have decided to take action against all the colleges protesting unnecessarily. However, dissatisfaction persisted among the participants pointing to the difficulties in staging the performance again, resulting in clashes between organizers and participants.
“The organizers carefully addressed the appeals and protests, taking appropriate action from the beginning. However, some centers created disruption from the very beginning with the intention of damaging the event. Both KSU and ABVP intervened unnecessarily to create chaos. Once the conflict is resolved, the program will resume, although the dates are not yet finalised,” said Vijay Vimal, president of the SFI-controlled Kerala Universities Association.
‘Organization cannot be held in an atmosphere of violence’
Kerala University V-C Mohanan Kunnumal said the youth fest has been suspended in view of the repeated clashes between student groups, which are disrupting its smooth conduct. He told TNIE that the decision on resuming the festival will be taken after talks with students, faculty and other stakeholders. He said, “The program cannot be organized in an atmosphere of violence.” He said that the complaints of students regarding the festival will be investigated in detail.
