Kerala Education Minister V. Sivankutty has launched an urgent inquiry into an incident at Kumbla Higher Secondary School in Kasaragod, where teachers halted a mime performance addressing the Gaza conflict during the school’s arts festival and subsequently suspended the event.
The Minister stated that the Director of Public Instruction is responsible for compiling a report on the incident and emphasized, “Kerala has always stood firmly against the genocide carried out by Israel in Palestine. Kerala stands with the children being hunted down in Palestine.” He questioned who had the authority to stop a mime performance on the Palestine issue and assured that the Kumbla School students would be allowed to present the mime again.
Kasaragod Collector K. Imbasekar has requested reports from the District Police and the Deputy Director of General Education regarding the matter. The two-day “Kalolsavam” (arts festival) was suspended after a teacher drew the curtain during the final moments of the mime.
The performance, which occurred on Friday evening, sparked protests from student organizations, with members of the Muslim Students Federation (MSF) and the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) marching to the school in response. The mime depicted the devastation in Gaza, featuring the death of a child due to Israeli bombardments, with students holding a photo and a soft toy symbolizing the plight of Palestinian children. Despite the curtain being drawn, students continued to display Palestine solidarity posters and flags, chanting “Free, free Palestine.” Following this, a teacher announced the cancellation of all programs for the day.
Head Teacher Shailaja V. R. clarified that the mime was performed by higher secondary students who had requested to present it earlier due to a district sports meet. Although the performance involved more students and props, she stated it violated competition rules. Initially allowed by the organizers, the curtain was drawn when the portrait was displayed, prompting the controversy.
Reactions from the teachers asserted that the government’s and student organizations’ responses were based on a misrepresentation of the events at the school. Tensions escalated when MSF members demanded accountability for the teachers who lowered the curtain, resulting in a scuffle that required police intervention. MSF leaders refused to leave the premises until action was taken, leading to Kumbla Police arresting students to disperse the protest. Local MLA A. K. M. Ashraf also visited the scene.
The Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) president stated that measures would be implemented against the implicated teachers and confirmed that the arts festival, including the contested mime, would take place in the near future. He highlighted that the performance was a gesture of solidarity with Palestine, not an act of sedition, and emphasized the importance of youth festivals addressing relevant contemporary issues.
Amid rising global condemnation of Israel’s actions in Gaza, Kerala campuses have seen an increase in protests, demonstrations, marches, and displays of solidarity with Palestine during artistic events. In a related incident, students at Government Higher Secondary School in Ancharakandy were halted mid-performance during a Kolkkali event for wearing T-shirts bearing pro-Palestine messages.
Tags: Kerala, Gaza, mime, inquiry, Palestine
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