Kochi, October 30, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
A graduation ceremony at Maharaja’s College in Kochi was disrupted on Friday after Students’ Federation of India (SFI) activists stormed the stage and surrounded Kerala Higher Education Minister Roji M. John, forcing him to abandon his speech and leave the venue.
The protest centred on the suspension of 16 students at Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit in Kalady. The activists demanded their immediate reinstatement and questioned the action taken against them.
The incident occurred while the minister was addressing the gathering at the college’s graduation ceremony. Students carrying banners and placards climbed onto the stage and surrounded him, turning the formal academic event into a heated confrontation.
A woman student took the microphone and questioned the minister, saying the suspended students had been barred from entering the Kalady campus for the past 60 days. She challenged the government’s description of their agitation as violent and asked what was wrong with a play staged by students as part of their protest.
The protesters also strongly objected to the minister’s earlier description of the suspended students as “uncivilised”.
Although John initially said he would address their concerns after the ceremony, the activists continued to question him. College authorities switched off the microphone being used by the student, but the confrontation continued.
Tensions escalated further when women police personnel intervened and attempted to remove the student from the stage.
John told the protesters that everyone had the right to demonstrate in a democracy and that there was no need to lower their banners. However, he made it clear that the government and the Higher Education Department would not tolerate violence in the name of protest, regardless of the organisation involved.
Describing the agitation at Kalady as outright violence, he said such actions, including attempts to disrupt Syndicate meetings, could not be allowed on university campuses. He also declared that he would not be intimidated by protests or give in to pressure.
As the noise intensified, the minister’s attempts to respond to the protesters proved futile. He eventually left the stage without completing his speech.
The protest later spread outside the venue, prompting police intervention.
The SFI Ernakulam district secretary maintained that the protest was peaceful and that the organisation had neither intended to disrupt the ceremony nor attack the minister. He said the objective was to obtain answers to the students’ questions.
The organisation alleged that the 16 students had been suspended for participating in a play staged during an agitation seeking basic facilities on the Kalady campus.
SFI has also demanded that vacant teaching posts be filled, clean drinking water be made available and the suspended students be reinstated. It further alleged delays in issuing certificates and a shortage of teachers in some departments.
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