The crisis at Sree Sankaracharya Sanskrit University in Kalady has deepened after students rejected a Syndicate decision on suspensions, while a 97-day protest continued to disrupt academic activity and prevent students from appearing for examinations.
The Syndicate has decided to retain the suspension of four students but withdraw the suspension of 12 others if they submit written apologies, according to a report by Kerala Kaumudi. Students rejected the proposal. The Students’ Federation of India has also decided to begin an indefinite hunger strike, raising the possibility of further escalation on the campus.
The dispute was at the centre of proceedings before the Kerala High Court involving petitions filed by students and the Vice-Chancellor. A Syndicate meeting was also held on November 2. On the same day, parents and mass organisations held protests outside the university gate, while the Sanskrit University Protection Committee organised a public march.
The immediate conflict began with protests against Vice-Chancellor Dr C.S. Thomas, who was appointed by the Governor. Sixteen students were suspended after they were accused of using a symbolic funeral bier representing the Vice-Chancellor during a protest. The university’s action has since become part of a wider dispute over student demonstrations, disciplinary procedures and the administration’s handling of campus grievances.
A report submitted to the university by K.K. Krishnakumar, head of the Theatre Department and a Syndicate member, has added another point of contention. The report said that certain damaged theatre lights had been destroyed in the 2018 floods. It also stated that the lights symbolically used by students in the protest were not the damaged theatre department lights.
According to the report cited by Kerala Kaumudi, the university received no complaints about the lights between 2018 and March 2026. During that period, two Syndicates and four Vice-Chancellors administered the university. The report said students had staged a play demanding repairs to the theatre department lights, while the students alleged that the Vice-Chancellor’s complaint followed political opposition to that performance.
The claims about the motivation behind the complaint are disputed and were presented in the report as allegations by the students and statements by political representatives. The current dispute has therefore extended beyond the original protest and now involves the suspension of students, the conditions attached to withdrawing disciplinary action, examination access and the authority of the Vice-Chancellor and Syndicate.
The protest was publicly addressed at the march organised by the Sanskrit University Protection Committee. The event was inaugurated by Communist Party of India (Marxist) Ernakulam district secretary S. Satheesh. SFI district president Yadukrishna presided. Other speakers included local CPI(M), Democratic Youth Federation of India and SFI representatives.
With the student strike entering its 97th day, the immediate institutional milestones are the High Court’s consideration of the petitions, the implementation of the Syndicate’s suspension decision and the proposed hunger strike. The university has not reached a settlement with the protesting students, according to the report.
