Cockroach poster triggers storm at MG University; VC restricts political content, SFI protests

KOTTAYAM: Mahatma Gandhi University has barred political campaigning at events funded by the institution and made prior approval mandatory for the use of its emblem following a controversy over a promotional poster for a university union conference that depicted a cockroach standing before a boot, symbolising authority.

The Registrar issued the circular on the instructions of Vice-Chancellor Dr D. Mavoothu after the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) lodged a complaint seeking the removal of the poster.

The poster, shared on the university union's Instagram page and displayed across the campus to publicise the National Conference scheduled from August 3 to 6, featured a cockroach standing before a boot, portrayed as a symbol of authority.
The circular states that political campaigning will not be permitted at programmes conducted using university funds and that prior approval is mandatory for the use of the university emblem.

The move drew sharp criticism from the Students' Federation of India (SFI), which staged a protest on the university campus. District Secretary Rahul Rajendran inaugurated the protest meeting.

The SFI accused the Vice-Chancellor of attempting to curb students' political freedom. The organisation also alleged that while the Vice-Chancellor has prohibited political campaigning at university-funded programmes, he himself attends Sangh Parivar events using a university vehicle.