SFI blocks Maharaja’s College principal for 5 hours over admission row

Kochi: The SFI unit in Maharaja’s College blocked the office of the college principal for nearly five hours on Wednesday to protest against what it termed as irregularities in admissions to the undergraduate courses.

The siege which began around 2.30 p.m. ended around 7 p.m. when the principal agreed to cancel the controversial admissions. Balu Pradeep, SFI unit secretary of the college, said that the principal had granted admissions to five students violating the norms.

According to him, the five students, who failed to remit the admission fees on time, were admitted due to the undue interest shown by the principal. Although the police reached the college, the principal sent them back saying that he did not have a complaint, said the SFI activists.

The principal has also agreed to constitute an admission committee with the representation of students for filling the remaining seats in the college. Out of the 676 seats for various undergraduate courses, so far 400 seats were filled. Maharaja’s College, the only government college with autonomous status in the district, had seen a series of agitations in the recent past. The college was closed for more than 50 days after a section of the students and teachers launched a strike against the autonomy for the college.