VIDEO: Row After Teachers Interrupt Students’ Palestine Mime in Kerala School Fest; Education Minister Orders Performance to Resume

Protests erupted at the Government Higher Secondary School in Kumbla after teachers interrupted a students’ mime act expressing solidarity with Palestine during the school’s arts festival on Friday. Activists from the Muslim Students Federation (MSF) and the Students Federation of India (SFI) staged demonstrations demanding that the students be allowed to perform.

Protests and Police Response

MSF members entered the hall where the Parents Teachers Association (PTA) meeting was being held to voice their concerns. Meanwhile, SFI organized a demonstration outside the school in Saturday morning. Police were called in and dispersed the protesters from the campus.

Government Intervention

Kerala Education Minister V. Sivan Kutty responded to the incident, stating, “I have instructed a senior official to conduct an inquiry and file a report. It is inappropriate to stop any art form expressing solidarity with Palestine.”

He confirmed that the students would be allowed to perform the same mime act on Monday.

School Authorities’ Statements

PTA President A.K. Arif criticized the two teachers for stopping the performance and pulling down the stage curtain during the arts festival. He assured that the festival will resume on Monday and that steps have been taken to defuse tensions.

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Kerala school staff halts mime on Gaza children..Students protest with Palestine flags

A mime act on Gaza’s children & war suffering was abruptly stopped mid-performance by staff at Kumbala Govt Higher Secondary School, Kasaragod

Teachers reportedly pulled down curtains and… pic.twitter.com/kL44Y8l3Mb

— Nabila Jamal (@nabilajamal_) October 4, 2025 >

School Principal Sindhu, however, clarified that the final decision regarding the performance would be made on October 6.

The incident has drawn attention to the importance of freedom of expression in school arts programs and sparked a debate on how sensitive topics are handled in educational institutions.