Four SFI activists arrested for staged funeral protest at SSUS

The Kalady police have arrested four activists of the Students' Federation of India (SFI) in connection with a protest at Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit (SSUS), Kalady. The protest, held on August 13, 2026, allegedly included a symbolic funeral of Vice-Chancellor Ciza Thomas.

The arrested have been identified as Mebin Jose, 24, Basil Scaria, 29, Vijeesh, 23, and Yadhu Krishnan, 19. Their arrests are linked to two separate cases registered in connection with the incident. The first case was filed on Thursday based on a complaint from a police officer deployed on the campus during the protest. The second First Information Report (FIR) was registered on Sunday following a complaint from Vice-Chancellor Thomas.

According to the FIR based on Ms. Thomas's complaint, the accused allegedly manhandled and defamed her, and also damaged her car. A total of eighteen students and other identifiable SFI members have been booked based on this complaint. The second case pertains to alleged obstruction of police duties, with the FIR stating that activists assaulted police personnel who used minor force to disperse the crowd.

The police have not provided further details about the nature of the protest or the events leading up to the arrests. A senior officer at the Kalady police station said that the investigation is ongoing and that further action will be taken based on evidence collected.

The arrests have drawn attention from student and political circles in Kerala. The SFI, a student wing of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), has not yet issued an official statement regarding the arrests. The university administration has remained silent on the matter.

This incident adds to a series of campus tensions at SSUS in recent months, though no specific pattern has been officially documented. The legal process will determine the veracity of the allegations, and the accused are presumed innocent until proven otherwise.