Students injured in clashes at Kerala university protest against RSS ideologue

A protest at Central University of Kerala in Kasaragod escalated into clashes with police on Tuesday, leaving at least four students injured, according to university officials. The demonstration was mounted against the presence of a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh ideologue who was scheduled to speak at a seminar marking 150 years since the composition of Vande Mataram, the nationalist poem that has become a symbol of India's independence movement.

Students gathered at the campus to voice their opposition to the speaker's participation in the academic event. As the protest intensified, police personnel intervened, leading to physical confrontations between demonstrators and law enforcement. The exact circumstances that triggered the clashes remain unclear, though eyewitness accounts indicate tensions escalated rapidly during the course of the afternoon.

The four injured students were reported to have sustained various injuries during the melee. No immediate information was available regarding their current medical condition or whether they required hospitalization. University authorities have not yet issued an official statement regarding the incident or announced any planned review of the seminar's proceedings.

The incident reflects ongoing tensions across Indian campuses over the ideological affiliations of invited speakers and the platforms provided to them at academic institutions. The Vande Mataram commemoration had been planned as a cultural and historical event, but the selection of the speaker proved controversial among sections of the student body.