The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) on Friday, 6 November 2026, escalated the ongoing campus dispute at Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit, Kalady, accusing the Student Federation of India (SFI) leadership of using its current protest as cover to escape disciplinary action and describing those spearheading the agitation as 'campus criminals.'

ABVP's Core Allegations

ABVP state secretary Yadu Krishnan, addressing a press conference in Aluva, alleged that the SFI members driving the unrest were themselves parties to past campus clashes and had active police cases against them. He specifically claimed that SFI unit president Archana, who is leading an indefinite hunger strike, was named in a case registered at Kalady police station over an alleged attack on students using deadly weapons.

Krishnan further alleged that another SFI activist, Abhijith, had a Non-Bailable Warrant (NBW) issued against him by a court in Perumbavoor. He also alleged that additional SFI members had cases pending at the police station, though he did not name them all individually.

Allegations Against Transgender Scholar

The ABVP leader also made allegations against Rithusha, described as the university's first transgender PhD scholar, claiming she verbally abused students and provoked clashes on campus. The allegation marks a pointed escalation, as Rithusha's presence at the university had previously been framed as a milestone for inclusion in Kerala's academic circles.

Background: Suspensions That Sparked the Row

The current standoff has its roots in disciplinary proceedings initiated earlier by the university's Left-led syndicate. ABVP activist Ujjwal Unni and five other students were suspended for nine months over a campus clash that the ABVP characterised as non-political. According to Krishnan, five of the six suspended students were forced to discontinue their studies as a result. Ujjwal subsequently left the original course and enrolled in a different programme at the same university.

Krishnan questioned the silence of academics and cultural figures over those suspensions, noting that no joint statement had been issued in support of the suspended students — a contrast, he implied, to the attention the current SFI-led protest has drawn.

ABVP's Political Charge Against SFI

The ABVP alleged that the SFI had remained conspicuously quiet on campus issues during the previous Left-led government in Kerala and was now resorting to disruptive tactics to destabilise the academic environment. Critics of the ABVP, however, argue that both organisations have been consistent actors in Kerala's politically charged campus landscape, and that each side's framing reflects broader party rivalries rather than purely student grievances.

The press conference was attended by Ujjwal Unni and ABVP district committee member Krishnunni. The SFI had not, at the time of reporting, formally responded to the specific allegations made at Friday's press conference. The situation at Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit is likely to remain tense as both sides dig into rival narratives ahead of any potential administrative intervention.