Four students hailing from Kerala were brutally attacked by university security guards on the evening of March 10, 2023, at Indira Gandhi National Tribal University, Amarkantak, Madhya Pradesh. The incident took place after the students took selfies from the top of a water tank on the university campus. The students suffered severe injuries and had to be hospitalized.
According to Dr. A.S. John Brittas, a member of several parliamentary committees, the attack was premeditated and part of a pattern of hostility against Keralite students at the university, who are being targeted based on their regional, linguistic, and ethnic backgrounds. This is not the first such incident, and perpetrators of previous attacks have gone unpunished.
Dr. Brittas has written to Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, the Hon'ble Minister of Education & Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, requesting immediate intervention to direct university authorities to take punitive action against the attackers and ensure the safety of Keralite students on campus. Given the urgency of the situation, Dr. Brittas is calling for prompt attention to this matter.
The Keralite student community is understandably frightened, and this latest incident has added to their trepidation. It is imperative that action is taken swiftly to address the hostile environment faced by these students and prevent future attacks.
