Visuals of the angry mob attacking Sreenivasan shot by TV channels.
By Dileep Thekkethil
Former Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy of India, Washington, T P Sreenivasan was attacked by a group of left-oriented student activists in Kerala on Friday.
Sreenivasan, who is currently the vice chairman of the Kerala State Higher Secondary Education Council, was attacked by a few members of Students Federation of India (SFI), which is a student wing of the opposition party, the CPI (M).
The former Indian diplomat was en-route to the venue of the Global Education Summit when he came under the attack of the student group that opposed the entry of foreign universities – an idea Sreenivasan has been advocating.
Earlier, SFI had threatened to disrupt the proceedings of the summit alleging that bringing of the foreign universities would further commercialize the higher education sector of the state.
Visuals of an angry mob attacking Sreenivasan was shot by TV channels.
The video also has the face of a man slapping Sreenivasan from the back, knocking him down as the police stand nearby him as mere spectators. The former diplomat had to seek resort in a nearby house at Kovalam where the summit is being held.
Sreenivasan, former Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations, Vienna was also the Ambassador to Austria and Slovenia.
The mob started pushing Sreenivasan around after he tried to reason with the protesting students, who later turned violent.
The incident happened despite having a strong police presence in the area as there were prior reports about possible violence. The students were later arrested and removed, police said.
CPI(M) district secretary Kadakampally Surendran who apologised on behalf of the CPI (M) students wing alleged that the government was using police against students.
“I apologise on behalf of the students. This should not have happened,” he told reporters.
Surendran also added that Sreenivasan should have avoided a direct confrontation with the students as a tense situation prevailed in the area.
Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, who was to inaugurate the meet, cancelled it.
Mr. Sreenivasan was a Visiting Fellow in Foreign Policy at the Brookings Institution, Washington in 2009. He is the author of four books: ‘Words, Words, Words—Adventures in Diplomacy’, ‘Encounters’ ‘Mattering to India-the Shashi Tharoor Campaign’ and ‘Applied Diplomacy Through the Prism of Mythology’.
Update:
J S Sarath, the SFI district Vice President who went missing after the visuals of him slapping Sreenivasan went viral, has been arrested by the police and charged with IPC sections 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty) and 341 (wrongfully restraining any person).
3 Comments
bad tongue attracts lots of trouble!
I am now Woking as Senior Consultant Psychiatry KIMS Hospital Tivandum. I too had a similar experience way back in 2005, when I was waiting with my daughter, for appearing for interview for Medicine MBBS course,Venu was CET,Kulahoor,when I was attacked by the SFI Students,preventing us from joining the course which she got in merit with a fairly high rank,the same UDF govt was in power at that time,same police force was inactive then too.with Gods grace we along with a few students and parents could finally make it , thanks to the timely intervention of th then City Police Commissioner of Trivandrum.
I share the same emotional response which Mr. T.P Sreenivasn had experienced at this shame ful incident to which all parties should put an end to. Usual apologies and enquirers will follo and is of no use as I can say after 12 yrs from now.
Dr.Ashraf Ali
This incident is very unfortunate and atrocious. It is really incomprehensible that some students should manhandle a respectable person? It is a shame to the entire state. One can disagree with anybody. But to physically deal with people who hold opposite views is barbarous. If such students becomes leaders tomorrow what would happen is beyond understanding. This is an act of hooliganism and must be condemned by all.