Kerala Sees CPI(M) Youth And Student Protests Over Liquor Tax And Fee Hike

Kerala witnessed widespread protests on Wednesday as youth and student organisations linked to the CPI(M) intensified demonstrations against the UDF government’s policies , including proposed tax relief measures and reported fee hikes in educational institutions.

The Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) organised marches to district headquarters across the state, alleging that the government’s tax relief proposals would benefit the liquor mafia . Protesters also demanded changes to the budgetary policy and raised slogans against Chief Minister V D Satheesan during the demonstrations.

Hundreds of activists participated in the marches across multiple districts, creating tense scenes as police were deployed to manage the crowd. Security personnel used water cannons at several locations after protesters attempted to breach barricades and continue their marches toward restricted zones.

In Thiruvananthapuram, the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) staged a separate protest march to the state Secretariat, opposing the reported fee hike in cooperative sector educational institutions . During the protest, some agitators reportedly pulled down and damaged a cut-out of Chief Minister V D Satheesan, escalating tensions at the site.

Police responded with repeated water cannon bursts and used minor force to disperse the crowd outside the Secretariat as the situation turned volatile.

The protests reflect growing political friction between opposition-linked student and youth organisations and the ruling coalition over fiscal measures and education-related cost increases, with both DYFI and SFI continuing to demand policy reversals.

The United Democratic Front (UDF) government has not issued a detailed response to the allegations raised during the demonstrations.