Violence at IIT-Madras: CM Pinarayi Vijayan urges Tamil Nadu CM to act tough

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday urged his Tamil Nadu counterpart Edappadi K. Palaniswami to take strong action against the perpetrators of the recent violence and hate crime against students of IIT Madras. In a letter to Mr Palaniswami, the chief minister sought his urgent intervention to contain the atmosphere of hatred in the institution. “I would like to bring to your attention to the dastardly attack on the students at IIT Madras, allegedly on the ground that they have taken part in the ‘beef fest’. The incident has deeply disturbed the student community on the campus. Suraj, a research scholar has had serious injury on his right eye,” he said.

Mr Pinarayi said an elite institution like IIT Madras was a place for high learning, open debates and discussions and the students irrespective of their background had the right of preference to their choice of food. “Any vitriolic and hateful attack on students undermines the secular fabric and hinders the culture of harmony in educational institutions,” he pointed out.

The letter posted on the Chief Minister’s official Facebook page received instant hits and likes. More than 150 persons shared the post within an hour. Most people who commented on the post, hailed the chief minister’s initiative in defending the rights of the people and the students of IIT Madras. Meanwhile a small group of students of IIT, Madras, on Thursday held an agitation demanding speedy action against those involved in the 'attack' on a PhD scholar for allegedly participating in a beef fest in the campus.