As the Opposition’s INDIA bloc, which includes the Congress and the CPI(M), is trying to put up a united front against the Chief Election Commissioner, its student wings are clashing in Kerala. On Wednesday evening (September 30, 2026), major clashes erupted between the KSU-Youth Congress workers and the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) near the Kerala University Men’s Hostel in Thiruvananthapuram.
The clashes reportedly happened when some KSU-Youth Congress workers were taking out a protest march to the Accountant General’s office demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Both sides provided different accounts of the incident. Each blamed the other for starting violence and justified their actions as a response. However, what apparently started as an altercation quickly escalated into full-fledged violence.
Incredible. But true.
— Rahul Shivshankar (@RShivshankar) September 30, 2026
LEFT STUDENT UNION VS CONGRESS STUDENT UNION OVER "CEC GYANESH KUMAR"!
Another campus clash. This time in Thiruvananthapuram as Youth Congress workers marched in a ‘Resistance March’ demanding the resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar.
Stones and bottles were… pic.twitter.com/nMsJifA0GO
According to KSU-Youth Congress workers, when the march reached near the University College hostel, where SFI workers mostly reside, stones and beer bottles were hurled at them from the hostel. In retaliation, they threw the torches they were carrying inside the hostel, which led to the violent clashes.
SFI workers, on the other hand, held the KSU-Youth Congress workers responsible for starting the violence. They said that the KSU-Youth Congress workers, who were taking out the march, pelted stones inside the hostel, to which SFI workers verbally retaliated. The SFI took a dig at the Congress government in Kerala and asked if the Youth Congress workers were carrying torches because of power cuts. “Stones were hurled into the hostel, to which we retaliated with words. They were carrying torches, and we asked if it was because of the power cuts. This is what began the ruckus,” an SFI member reportedly said.
A violent confrontation broke out between both sides, which went on for nearly three hours. A large number of police personnel were deployed at the spot to quell the situation. The police had to use tear gas to disperse the crowds. The SFI accused the police of using excessive force on SFI workers inside the hostel.
The incident was followed by a protest by SFI members, which was joined by senior CPI(M) politician and former Chief Minister and Opposition leader Pinarayi Vijayan. CPI(M) leaders V Sivankutty and PK Sreemathy, and CPI leader V Joy, also joined staged a sit-in protest in front of the University college hostel. Later on, members of SFI and Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) organised protest marches at various places across the city against the incident.
Vijayan accused the Youth Congress of carrying out a pre-planned attack on SFI members inside the hostel. “It is certain that the Youth Congress attack was part of a pre-planned decision. This is because, on several occasions in the past, the Congress, Youth Congress, and KSU have targeted the university hostel. The attack that took place here was part of that,” Pinarayi said.
