Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, on January 10, condemned the murder of an activist affiliated with the Students' Federation of India (SFI) in Idukki and said that attempts to create riots in colleges will be not allowed. Dheeraj Rajendran (21), a student of Idukki Engineering College, was stabbed to death during a scuffle with Kerala Students' Union (KSU) activists, police said.
In a Facebook post, Vijayan wrote, “Murder of Dheeraj Rajendran, a student of Govt Engineering College, Idukki and an SFI activist, is extremely sad and condemnable. Attempts to create riots in colleges will not be allowed. Police have been directed to bring Dheeraj's killers before the law.” The Kannur resident was stabbed at around 1 pm on January 10, police said, adding that he was rushed to a local medical college, but could not be saved.
"College election works have been underway on the campus for the past few days. There were minor issues between both the student organisations," police said.
Students alleged it was the Youth Congress workers who had attacked Dheeraj and stabbed him. According to reports, the attacker stabbed the student and ran away from the place. Soon after the incident, hundreds of students and local Left leaders, including MLAs, gathered at the medical college where he was taken.