Kerala school syllabus protests turn violent

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Students Union (KSU) activists and policemen clashed in several towns on Thursday as the students continued to protest the Left Democratic Front government's "deliberate attempt to inject Marxism through school textbooks".

Police have used force to put down the rallies leading to street battles in the past few days. The strong-arm tactics used by the police against the students have prompted Congress leaders to allege double standards in handling protests by student unions of ruling parties and the opposition.

The root cause of the clashes is a social studies textbook for class VII students, which the opposition students unions say is aimed at promoting atheism. They also argue that the textbook makes distorted statements regarding the national history.

The government is of the view that the students are sparking street fights forcing the police to take action, but the students deny it.