Kerala: Kumbla school’s Gaza mime staged amid BJP protests

The controversial mime performance on the Gaza conflict at Kerala’s Kumbla Higher Secondary School was successfully staged on Monday, despite strong protests from local BJP activists.

The performance, initially halted on Friday during the school’s two-day Kalolsavam (arts festival), had sparked a controversy across Kerala.

On Friday, the incident occurred when a group of higher secondary students enacted a mime depicting the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, including the death of a child during Israeli bombardments.

Students used a soft toy and a portrait of a grieving Palestinian mother as props, and displayed Palestine solidarity posters and flags.

The performance was interrupted when a teacher lowered the curtain, prompting other students to continue raising slogans of “Free, free Palestine”, after which the teacher announced the cancellation of the day’s events.

The curtain-lowering led to protests from student organizations, including the Muslim Students Federation (MSF) and the Students’ Federation of India (SFI), escalating into tense situations.

Soon, when Kerala Education Minister V. Sivankutty was briefed about what happened on Friday, he immediately ordered an urgent inquiry, assigning the Director of Public Instruction to submit a report.

Sivankutty then said Kerala has always stood firmly against the violence being carried out by Israel in Palestine. “Kerala stands with the children who are being hunted down in Palestine,” he said, emphasizing that the students would be allowed to perform the mime again.

On Monday, despite local BJP protests outside the school, the performance went ahead, underlining the administration’s commitment to ensuring student expression and solidarity with Palestine.

“It’s strange that whenever the BJP raises issues, there’s an outcry, but when others cross the line, there’s silence. Freedom of expression seems selective,” said a local BJP leader during the protest.

The incident has reignited political tensions in Kerala over expressions of solidarity with Palestine.