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Kozhikode: A group of madrasa students was allegedly subjected to assault after a dispute over pasting posters on private property turned violent in Kerala’s Preambra.

The students reported that they initially received approval from a private property owner to put up posters, who asked them to return later at night to complete the work. When they came back to the site with posters and approached for permission again, the situation turned hostile.

The students claimed they were forced into a house where, after being offered water, they were interrogated regarding religious topics and international issues involving Israel, Iran, Afghanistan, and Syria.

“They spoke communally and questioned us about the war,” one of the students alleged.

While attempting to leave, the assailants reportedly locked the gate, pushed them, and hit one of the students with a bangle. Even as the students ran towards a nearby restaurant to raise an alarm, the attackers hurled communal slurs at them.

“They called us terrorists,” the students alleged. 

The injured students were initially taken to the Perambra Taluk Hospital and were later transferred to Kozhikode Medical College Hospital the next morning, as they sustained serious injuries. 

The Fraternity Movement alleged that Hindutva workers were behind the attack and warned that the incident could disturb the region’s communal harmony.

“Even school-aged students were targeted, and those individuals involved included those associated with defence services, raising the seriousness of the incident,” the organisation said.

Despite filing a complaint, the police have not yet registered a case, the organisation alleged, adding that the delay was “suspicious.”

The Fraternity Movement district committee announced plans to petition the Child Rights Commission and other governing bodies for accountability.

Meanwhile, the MSF Perambra committee condemned the attack, highlighting that the alleged involvement of a central government employee significantly heightens the gravity of the assault.

Demanding immediate arrests and justice for the students, the organization warned that failure to take prompt police action would result in large-scale protests.

The police did not immediately respond to a request for comment.