Kerala: Police uses water cannons on group protesting against postponement of class 10, 12 exams in Malappuram

A day after the Kerala government postponed the examinations of classes 10 and 12 in the state, a group protesting against the postponement of exams were charged with water cannons by the police here on Friday.

The police used water cannons to disperse a group of Muslim Students' Federation district committee members while they were marching to the Deputy Director of Education's office to protest against the postponement of exams.

The Election Commission on Thursday permitted the Kerala government to postpone the school examinations of classes 10 and 12 to April 8, in view of the upcoming state assembly elections.

The state had sought postponement of the Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC) and Higher Secondary school examinations, which were to commence from March 17, as teachers had been put on poll duty and classrooms were to be used for polling purposes.

The Kerala government had written a letter to the Kerala Chief Electoral Officer seeking postponement of the examinations, which was forwarded to the Election Commission for approval.

According to government sources, the examinations, which were slated from March 17 earlier, will now be held from April 8 to 30 following permission from the Election Commission

The election for 140-member Kerala Assembly in 14 districts will be held in a single phase on April 6. The counting of votes will take place on May 2.

( With inputs from ANI )