'Cruelty beyond words': VC Ciza Thomas recounts horrifying 'mock funeral' protest

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Professor Ciza Thomas, Vice-Chancellor of Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit, has alleged that she was subjected to a violent attack by protesters during a students' demonstration that included a mock funeral targeting her.

“They brought a ‘body’ on a bier and wailed, ‘Oh no, our VC is dead.’ They placed it in front of me. A person dressed like a Christian priest came and swung an incense burner. They sang songs usually performed during funerals, took it outside in a mock funeral procession and buried it,” Ciza Thomas told Kerala Kaumudi.

“This was an act of cruelty that should not be inflicted on anyone, let alone a Vice-Chancellor. They were trying to intimidate me and force me out. I was also physically assaulted. But none of this will make me step down from the responsibility entrusted to me by the Governor,” she said.

According to Ciza Thomas, more than 200 people gathered at the university when she arrived for a Syndicate meeting on Thursday. The mock funeral protest began soon after the meeting started, with funeral songs being played inside the hall.

As the situation became tense, an ASP and a police team arrived at the spot. Ciza Thomas said she spoke to the students at the ASP's request and asked them to clearly state their demands.

“When I asked what they wanted, they could not give me a clear answer. They kept repeating that there were many issues and many things that needed to be done. I asked them to mention at least four issues and assured them that they would be addressed immediately, but there was no response,” she said.

Ciza Thomas said police personnel led by an ACP were present but could not prevent the violence. She said she would examine video footage, identify those involved in the alleged attack and file a police complaint.

Ciza Thomas is also the Vice-Chancellor of the APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University. She said the Governor contacted her to enquire about her health and assured her of action. She was also called to Lok Bhavan for a meeting on Saturday.

‘They pushed me against a wall and hit me’

Describing the alleged attack, Ciza Thomas said the violence began after Syndicate members stopped the discussion and got up to leave. She alleged that more than 200 people then stormed into the room and began attacking those present.

“They hit and punched us. Even the officials accompanying me were assaulted. I was hit on the head and someone grabbed my hair and pulled me backwards. I was in severe pain,” she said.

“They pushed me against a wall and hit me. There was nowhere to move back. They pulled my hair and repeatedly struck my head. I still have a headache,” she added.

“At one point, I thought I would not come out alive. If I had fallen to the ground, they might have trampled me. I was being pushed from one side to another amid more than 200 people. They shouted that I would not leave alive and hurled terrible abuses at me. There were also people from outside,” Thomas alleged.

She maintained that there was no reason for the protest against her.

“I have done nothing against the students. Students with insufficient attendance were allowed to write their examinations. We have also started issuing degree certificates pending since 2019. I believe some teaching and non-teaching staff who are affected when matters are properly recorded in files are instigating the students,” she alleged.