Kochi: Kochi's Maharaja's College finds itself engulfed in a fresh controversy as the state secretary of the Students Federation of India (SFI), PM Arsho, has been accused of receiving undue favours. Arsho, who is currently facing charges in a murder case, has allegedly cleared his third-semester examinations without appearing for any of the papers.
The incident has sparked widespread protests from opposing student groups, who claim that the SFI, affiliated with the ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist), exploited its influence to secure favourable results for Arsho.
However, Arsho has denied these allegations, stating that he did not attempt a single paper during the third-semester examinations. He explained, "I wasn't in Ernakulam when the exams were conducted. I did not have permission to enter the district due to the pending case against me." Arsho's claim has added further confusion to the situation, leaving many questioning the integrity of the examination process.
In response to the mounting criticism, the Kerala Students Union (KSU), associated with the Congress party, organized a protest outside the college principal's office, demanding clarification on the matter. The principal, VS Joy, acknowledged the issue and attributed it to a technical glitch. He assured the protesting students that the college would rectify the error promptly. As a first step, the college has already removed the third-semester examination results from its website.
Arsho is currently facing charges in the murder case of advocate Nizam Nassar, which occurred in Erattupetta back in November 2018. Additionally, he is accused in several other criminal cases, including assaulting a student and making casteist remarks directed at an AISF woman leader. These past incidents have further contributed to the controversy surrounding Arsho's examination results.
This recent episode of controversy is not an isolated incident for the SFI in Kerala. Just a few weeks ago, another SFI leader was suspended from the student organization after allegations emerged that his name had been fraudulently recommended for the position of University Union Chancellor. This replacement came at the expense of the originally elected candidate from Kattakada Christian College in Thiruvananthapuram.
Meanwhile, the SFI Kerala state committee released a statement criticizing the news channels for spreading false information regarding the issue. The SFI accused the media of failing to report the matter accurately, despite the clarification provided by the college principal that the irregularity stemmed from a technical glitch on the part of the National Information Centre (NIC), which publishes the exam results for Maharaja's College.