Students’ organisation Kerala Students Union (KSU) has called for action against Malayalam actor Tovino Thomas on Saturday for his interaction with a student at Mary Matha Arts and Science College in Mananthavady, Wayanad.
Tovino was at the college on Friday (January 31) to inaugurate a public event organised by the state’s Election Commission on electoral literacy for strengthening democracy, Mathrubhumi reported.
The event was also attended by the Collector and Sub-Collector of the Wayanad district.
Tovino was addressing the gathering when a student in the audience reportedly booed during the speech.
The actor stopped his speech to call the student to the stage. He then made the student boo loudly through the mic four times.
While KSU said it would file a complaint against the actor, National Students Union of India leader Rahul Mamkootathil slammed Tovino on Facebook saying, “What you did was not heroism but humiliation acted out through a celebrity’s sadism.”
Student organisations such as the Students’ Federation of India and the All India Muslim Students Federation also slammed Tovino.
At the event, the actor said he had tried to show that dissent could be dealt with without violent suppression.
The student, identified as Akhil by News18 Malayalam, told the news channel that he had no complaints against the actor.
Akhil said he had not booed the actor but shouted out loud in excitement and that Tovino had perhaps been mistaken.
The report said the district collector apologised to the actor for the incident.