MALAPPURAM: A clash broke out between police and the SFI at Calicut University. The tension arose after SFI stopped eight nominees of the Governor who came to participate in the senate meeting. Alleging they are pro-Sangh Parivar, the SFI workers did not let them inside the campus. At the same time, the UDF representatives, who had come to attend the meeting, were let into the campus by the SFI activists.

Although the police used force to remove the activists who were protesting by sitting at the entrance of the Senate Hall, the nominees could not participate in the meeting as more than 100 SFI members blocked the gate and both ways of the Senate Hall.

The SFI had earlier said it would block the nine Sangh Parivar members nominated by Governor Arif Mohammad Khan. "They will not be allowed to attend the Senate meeting. SFI is taking on the sentiments of the public in Kerala. So far, no Sangh Parivar supporter has made it to the Kerala University Senate. That is why they are being brought in using the governor', SFI state joint secretary E Afzal said.

The governor had nominated 18 new people to the university senate. Nine of them were accused of being Sangh Parivar supporters. The governor's nominees who were blocked by the SFI activists are Balan Putheri, AR Praveen Kumar of Thrissur Cherp CNN Boys HSS, C. Manoj of Puranatukara Vidyamandir HSS, AV Harish of Malappuram Arakkal UPS, Afzal Zaheer of Pukayoor, AK Anuraj of Kozhikode Eranjipalam, C. Sneha of Pattambi SNGS and PM Ashwin of Guruvayoorappan College. One nominee did not arrive.

Meanwhile, the rest of the members nominated by the governor met for the first time today at Calicut University.