Kerala police use water cannons against SFI protesters

Police deployed water cannons against protesters from the Students' Federation of India (SFI) and the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) during demonstrations in Kerala. The SFI march to the University of Kerala headquarters was organized to protest what they described as a “Sangh Parivar” agenda supported by the government, specifically citing an event involving the Governor. Meanwhile, DYFI activists held marches in Thiruvananthapuram and Kasaragod regarding an MDMA case involving a Youth Congress leader.

Kerala Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala defended the police response, stating that water cannons were used as a routine measure only after protesters attacked and confronted police personnel. Chennithala questioned the motives behind the large-scale demonstrations, suggesting that the protests might be used to mask internal political differences within the CPI(M) rather than addressing legitimate grievances against a government that has been in office for only 100 days. SFI activists, however, have condemned the action, alleging that police used excessive force and caused injuries to students.