On This week, Kerala High Court Dismisses Challenge Against ‘Intifada’ Youth Festival Name After Name Change Kerala University has recently renamed its annual youth festival, originally titled “Intifada”, to Kerala University Youth Festival after facing backlash. The change was prompted by the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP)’s objection to the original name due to its association with the Palestinian uprising against Israeli occupation. The Vice Chancellor, Dr. Mohanan Kunnummal, ordered the removal of the term from all promotional materials, emphasizing the university’s commitment to neutrality and the avoidance of any ideological propagation through its platforms. The festival, organized by the student union primarily led by the Students’ Federation of India (SFI), is set to take place in Thiruvananthapuram from March 7 to March 11.
KERALA: This week, Kerala High Court dismisses challenge against ‘Intifada’ Youth Festival name after Name Change. Kerala University has decided to change the name of its annual youth festival from “Intifada” to Kerala University Youth Festival. The bench heard the matter after concerns were raised regarding the original name’s association with the Palestinian uprising against Israeli occupation.
Dr. Mohanan Kunnummal, the Vice Chancellor of Kerala University, directed the removal of the term “Intifada” from all festival-related promotions, including posters and social media, responding to objections raised by the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the student wing of the BJP.
The renaming of the festival aims to neutralize tensions that arose after the ABVP lodged a formal complaint with the university and appealed to Governor Arif Mohammed Khan, who also serves as the Chancellor. The ABVP’s complaint highlighted the potential implications of using a name linked to geopolitical conflicts, especially considering India’s diplomatic relations with both Palestine and Israel.
Scheduled to run from March 7 to March 11 in Thiruvananthapuram, the festival is a major event organized by the university’s student union, predominantly led by the Students’ Federation of India (SFI), affiliated with the CPI (M). The festival’s logo and theme were unveiled last week, led to the controversy of recent name change.
The VC said the university was bound to ensure that its activities did not hurt the sentiments of any section of students, faculty or the public. “The festival is not a place for any protest. The students union had committed a mistake by choosing a word, which has connotations that could affect many among the students and the public. The platform of the youth festival cannot be permitted to be made a stage to propagate any type of ideology. The word ‘Intifada’ has direct links with the Palestine-Israel issue. The same can have implications on the country’s foreign policy as well,” he said.
In their complaint, ABVP state secretary E U Eswaraprasad had said,
“Following the ban of PFI and its student wing Campus Front of India (CFI), many social media handles belonging to CFI have changed their names to Intifada to evade the attention of security agencies. Further, India shares a friendly diplomatic relationship with both Palestine and Israel. And Israel is regarded as a strategic partner for our country. A government-funded educational institution of our country indulging in propaganda against one of the friendly countries in the context of their internal conflict is not a good gesture, and it may affect the strategic interest of India.”
The ABVP had expressed concerns that the name could be perceived as endorsing extremist views, especially in the context of India’s strategic partnerships and diplomatic interests. The student union defended its choice, asserting the autonomy of their decision-making in festival matters and citing the ongoing conflict in Gaza as a rationale for its original selection. However, the university’s decision to rename the festival underscores a commitment to avoiding political controversies and focusing on the event’s goal of celebrating youth and cultural activities.
