In Kozhikode, KSU and MSF activists protested against Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, waving black flags to draw attention to the alleged shortage of plus-one (Class 11) seats in schools across northern Kerala's Malabar region.
The student wings of Congress and the Indian Union Muslim League, KSU, and MSF respectively, displayed black flags as Vijayan arrived to participate in a Kerala NGO Union event. Nadakkavu police confirmed the arrest of 12 activists involved in the protest.
Opposition parties in Kerala are criticizing the state government for not addressing issues related to the shortage of plus-one seats in schools in northern Kerala. Following the tragic suicide of a girl student in Parappanangadi, Malappuram district, on June 11 reportedly due to anxiety about securing a plus-one seat, the Left government has been under scrutiny.
While the Congress is demanding additional plus-one seats in Malabar schools to resolve the alleged shortage, the Kerala government maintains that there is no crisis in plus-one admissions.