On Friday, 26th July, a group of students staged protests at Church-run Nirmala College in Kerala’s Muvattupuzha, claiming that they were denied permission to hold Friday noon prayers inside a room on the campus. The incident came to the fore on the 26th, however, the demand sparked outrage, after the BJP referred to the alleged protesters as ‘extremist elements’ on Sunday, the 28th of July.
According to the reports, some female students requested that college authorities provide a place for women to offer Namaz prayers on Friday. When their request was not met, they decided to stage protests outside the office of the college’s principal, Father Kannadan Francis on the 26th.
Responding to the event, the Father told the girls that the Mosque was just 200 meters away from the college and that they could go there to offer Friday namaz prayers. “Boys at the college go to the mosque at noon for prayers. However, the girls wanted to use a college room for their prayer, saying that they were not allowed at the mosque. We have told them the college cannot allow a room for prayers,” Father Kannadan Francis was quoted as saying.
The college administration is said to have opined that no religious activities are permitted on campus since it is a ‘secular’ institution. According to college guidelines, students who submit a written request are permitted to attend prayers at a nearby mosque and are exempt from attendance requirements.
The incident came to the fore on 26th July. As per the protesters, a few female students offered prayers in the girls’ waiting area at the college. However, on 26th July, college officials questioned the matter and ordered the students who led the prayers to meet with the principal. This sparked the protest.
“Three girl students used to perform prayers in the waiting room and nobody had objected to it. On Thursday, the non-teaching staff questioned the students and informed the principal. On Friday the principal went to the waiting room and stopped the students from performing prayers. This led to the protest,” Muslim Students Federation (MSF) Ernakulam district president Rameez Muthirakalayil was quoted as saying.
However, the Students’ Federation of India (SFI), the student wing of the state’s ruling CPI(M), and the Muslim Students Federation (MSF), the student wing of the Indian Union Muslim League have issued statements saying that they had nothing to do with the demands.
SFI state president K Anusree claimed that the organization stood supporting ‘secularism’ and that allowing religious practices of any particular community would affect the ‘secular’ nature of the college. “We are not associated with the demand raised at Nirmala College,” she was quoted as saying.
On the other hand, the BJP condemned the protests and said that the ‘extremist elements’ were trying to create problems in educational institutes run by Hindus and Christians. “Extremist elements are behind the demand. The Left and the Congress are supporting it. Do colleges under Muslim management give premises for prayer for students from other religious communities? If Muslim groups are trying to foment trouble at colleges, BJP will give protection,” BJP state president K Surendran commented.
