In a decisive move, Professor P. Raveendran, the Vice-Chancellor of Calicut University, has officially annulled the departmental students’ union (DSU) elections that took place on October 10, 2025. This decision comes in response to numerous complaints regarding significant irregularities observed during the polling process.
According to a press statement released on Wednesday, October 15, 2025, a fresh round of elections will be conducted using new ballot papers. This will only happen once order is fully restored to the campus, which has been under an indefinite shutdown since October 11, following a clash between rival student groups the day prior.
Further addressing the concerns, Vice-Chancellor Raveendran has established a five-member committee. This team is tasked with thoroughly investigating the reported discrepancies during the DSU elections across all university locations, including the John Matthai Centre in Thrissur, the Institute of Tribal Studies and Research in Wayanad, and the Institute of Engineering and Technology on the main campus. The committee’s mandate includes proposing methods to enhance the electoral process, with a report expected within three weeks. Moreover, the Vice-Chancellor has instructed officials at satellite centers and the engineering college, where elections had already concluded, to prevent any student union representatives from assuming their roles or holding official meetings. The Dean of Students’ Welfare has also been specifically directed to verify the integrity of all ballot papers used in the student union elections.
The spark for the campus unrest was a confrontation between activists of the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) and the United Democratic Students’ Front (UDSF), a coalition comprising the Kerala Students’ Union and the Muslim Students’ Federation. UDSF members raised serious allegations, claiming that several ballot papers lacked the mandatory signatures of presiding officers. This immediately halted the vote counting, prompting the Vice-Chancellor to order the suspension of result declarations and the sealing of all ballot boxes. In response, SFI representatives have voiced strong objections to the decision for a fresh election, accusing the Vice-Chancellor of undermining students’ democratic rights. They insist on a re-counting of the existing votes and a prompt declaration of the results.