The controversial posters, displayed on campus, depicted a woman standing naked, draped in a torn national flag, sparking outrage among students and activists. The posters first appeared on June 20 but were taken down by ABVP activists.
Kasaragod Central University’s SFI Union faced severe backlash for allegedly insulting Bharat Mata and the national flag through posters for their arts festival, Cankama 2024. The contentious posters were eventually removed as protests intensified on campus.
The controversial posters, displayed on campus, depicted a woman standing naked, draped in a torn national flag, sparking outrage among students and activists. The posters first appeared on June 20 but were taken down by ABVP activists. Despite this, the posters were reinstalled with assistance from the police and university authorities.
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Shocking and disgraceful actions by SFI at Kasargod Central University in Kerala!
Insulting Bharat Mata, depicting the national flag in an insulting manner, in the name of Arts Festival.
This blatant disrespect will not be tolerated! Immediate and strict action is a must… pic.twitter.com/nPJUF4GshO
As the posters reappeared in the morning, the ABVP escalated their protest by lodging a complaint with the university's Vice Chancellor (VC). The response from the VC was that the student council needed to deliberate and decide on the issue. The arts festival is scheduled to run from June 26 to June 29.
In addition to the contentious depiction of the national flag, the posters also included images of watermelons with the festival's name, referencing the issue of Palestine.
The ABVP leadership criticized the university's VC for allowing the posters. NCT Srihari, an ABVP Central Working Committee member, declared that if "anti-nationals" continue to tarnish the country's reputation while benefiting from it, the VC should step down from his position.