Kasaragod (Kerala): Students of Kumbala Government Higher Secondary School in Kasaragod on Monday, October 6 once again staged their Palestine-themed mime that had previously been interrupted by teachers. This time, the performance, originally 10 minutes long, was trimmed to 5 minutes in accordance with the arts festival guidelines. The students wore keffiyehs during the act, but avoided using slogans or placards on stage. Despite this, chants of“Free Palestine” were raised from the audience. The mime performed by Plus Two students was stopped midway, which led to the cancellation of the arts festival and sparked widespread controversy.  The restaged performance took place after the removal of the two teachers accused of halting the original act.

BJP Workers Protest

Shortly after the mime concluded, BJP workers protested outside the school, objecting to the performance and the display of a flag, though the demonstration occurred only after the afternoon performance. A strong police presence was maintained at the school to ensure order. The disruption had prompted protests from student groups, including the Muslim Students Federation (MSF) and the Students' Federation of India (SFI), who demanded that the performance be allowed to continue. Kerala Education Minister V Sivankutty intervened, ordering an inquiry and directing that the students be permitted to restage their act.“It is inappropriate to stop any art form expressing solidarity with Palestine or suspend a youth festival for that reason. Further action will follow after the investigation report,” he said. Following the directive, the arts festival resumed from 9 am on Monday.

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