Attack on Kerala students in MP's tribal university stirs political controversy

An alleged attack on four Malayali students at a tribal university in Madhya Pradesh has sparked a political controversy with Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan strongly denouncing the incident and seeking action against the guilty.

According to sources, the four students were allegedly attacked by security staff on the campus of Indira Gandhi National Tribal University (IGNTU) in Madhya Pradesh.

Terming the incident "appalling", the Kerala chief minister has condemned it and demanded prompt action against the guilty students. "The university must take strong action against the culprits and ensure the safety of all students," he wrote in his official twitter handle.

Some other politicians from Kerala, including Congress MP (Thiruvananthapuram) Shashi Tharoor also condemned the incident and demanded action in the matter.

In the fresh development, Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Kerala Legislative Assembly - V.D. Satheesan has sent a letter to Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan seeking his intervention in the matter.

As per the reports, students who were allegedly attacked were identified as - K. T. Nasheel, R. Abhishek, Adnan, and Adil Rashif.

Sources aware of the matter told IANS that these students were taking selfies atop a water tank on the campus, for which, the security staff objected.

Objecting to selfie at a prohibited area resulted in a scuffle between students and the security staff. The incident occurred on March 10. As the incident occurred at the campus of Indira Gandhi National Tribal University located in Amarkantak in Anuppur district, the opposition has targetted the Shivraj Singh Chouhan-led BJP government on atrocities against tribals.

As the elections in Madhya Pradesh are scheduled later this year, both the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress have taken on each other over tribal issues.

Notably, Chief Minister Vijayan alleged that the students were attacked for their regional and linguistic reasons. "This latest vicious onslaught is another glaring episode of the organised series of hostile action against Keralite students who are being targetted for their regional, linguistic and ethnic backgrounds," he asserted.