VD Satheesan should not turn into VD Savarkar: AIYF, AISF raise slogan during Thrissur protest

Raising political slogans and alleged ideological compromises, the district committees of the All India Youth Federation (AIYF) and the All India Students Federation (AISF) organized a protest march to the office of the District Education Officer (DEO) in Thrissur on Tuesday (June 23, 2026).

The march was held to protest the alleged police brutality against activists who attended the recent assembly rally in Thiruvananthapuram against the PM SHRI scheme.

The police used water cannons to disperse the protesters who were trying to march towards the DEO office. The demonstration was tagged with the slogan “VD Satheesan should not turn into VD Savarkar”, reflecting the organizations’ strong criticism of the Congress leadership’s stance on the issue.

“Saffronization Agenda”

Inaugurating the protest, AIYF district secretary Prasad Pareri accused the Congress of trying to reintroduce a scheme in Kerala which he said was earlier rejected by the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government. He claimed that the PM SHRI project was a means to implement the Centre’s “saffron agenda” in the education sector.

Mr. Pareri warned that the system could undermine states’ constitutional rights in education, erode their autonomy in curriculum design and pave the way for the inclusion of “unscientific and historically biased content” in textbooks. He also criticized the selective allocation of funds to certain schools, saying it would deepen inequality and discrimination in the public education system.

The leaders of the organizations further alleged that the Chief Minister and the Congress are indirectly supporting policies that threaten Kerala’s secular and progressive educational values. They strongly condemned the police action against student and youth activists in Thiruvananthapuram, calling it “brutal and undemocratic”.

Speakers also expressed serious concerns about the use of allegedly contaminated water in water cannons, calling it a violation of human rights, especially in relation to public health risks such as infectious diseases and encephalitis.

AIYF district president Binoy Shabeer presided over the meeting. Leaders of both organizations led the march. The protesters later said they would lodge a formal complaint with the district collector over the alleged use of contaminated water by the police.

Published – 23 Jun 2026 19:58 IST