Kerala: SFI leader stabbed to death top Kochi college

Five persons allegedly belonging to Campus Front were taken into custody. Police are on the lookout for 15 others, including PFI men. A third-year student of the college is suspected to be the prime accused, police

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the incident was pre-planned, and that some persons with extremist nature from outside the campus were behind the murder.

According to the police, the youth, a second-year degree student, was killed at 12.30 am following a tiff with Campus Front activists over wall graffiti welcoming freshers into the campus.

“Campus Front workers tried to paste graffiti on a wall that was booked by the SFI for pasting their notices to welcome freshers. When SFI men questioned this, Campus Front workers retreated. At midnight, they came back with a gang of PFI men, leading to an altercation between the two sides. One of the persons allegedly belonging to the assailants’ side caught Abhimanyu’s hands while another person stabbed him on the stomach. He died while being taken to hospital,’’ said an officer of Kochi City police.

Abhimanyu’s body being taken inside college auditorium. (Photo by Kiran Gangadharan)

Campus Front state secretariat, in a release, sought a comprehensive probe into the murder. “SFI has been creating trouble in the college campus. SFI does not allow other organisations to work in the campus. Its workers destroyed Campus Front’s campaign materials,’’ said the secretariat.