Two kg of ganja were seized from the men’s hostel of Government Polytechnic College, Kalamassery, near here, police said on Friday.
The raid, conducted on Thursday night, led to the arrest of three students, police officials said.
Two of the students were released on station bail, while Akash, 21, a native of Kulathupuzha, Kollam, was booked under a separate FIR after authorities recovered 1.909 kg of ganja from his room.
The second FIR names two other students, Adithyan, 21, a native of Haripad, Alappuzha and Abhiraj, 21, a native of Karunagappally, Kollam, from whom 9.70 grams of ganja were seized. They were granted station bail, police officers said.
According to the police, the contraband was intended for both sale and personal use.
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Thrikkakara Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) P V Baby stated that the police conducted the raid based on a tip-off about huge quantities of ganja being stored on campus ahead of Holi celebrations.
“Both insiders and outsiders are involved in drug peddling, with former students and external individuals playing a key role,” he told reporters here.
He added that outsiders could not have accessed the hostel rooms without the consent of those residing there. “Therefore, it cannot be said that the hostel residents had no involvement.”
The police are also investigating individuals who frequently visit the hostel and campus as part of the probe. In addition to the drugs, police seized two mobile phones and identity cards from the suspects.
Meanwhile, Leader of the Opposition, V D Satheesan, reacted to the arrest of Abhiraj R, the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) college union general secretary.
He alleged that SFI union leaders are involved in the ganja seizure case, accusing the Left-affiliated student organisation of facilitating drug supply in college hostels and campuses.
He claimed that the drug mafia is expanding its network with “political patronage” and that SFI is playing a key role in this spread across campuses.
Satheesan urged the CPI(M) leadership and the state government to take strict action.
The SFI has come out in the defense of the alleged person, asserting that no contraband was recovered from his possession and that he does not have a history of drug use.
“The arrested student, Akash, along with two others who fled the campus during the search, are active members of the Kerala Students Union (KSU),” SFI Kalamassery area president Devarajan told the media.
He urged for a probe into the two students who escaped as one of them contested in the union elections under the banner of KSU.
KSU is the Congress’ student wing.
Abhiraj, who was released on station bail, also claimed that he was being unfairly targeted in the case. However, Thrikkakara ACP said that the police did not look into the political affiliations of the students during the investigation.
“Three students were caught red-handed, and they were directly involved in the case,” he stated.
The ACP also said that the medical examination of the accused was conducted.
A senior police official stated that this is the largest quantity of ganja ever seized from a college hostel in Kerala.
The search, which began on Thursday night, lasted nearly seven hours, concluding at 4 am on Friday, according to police officials.
It was carried out jointly by the Kalamassery police, City Police Narcotic Cell and the District Anti-Narcotics Special Action Force (DANSAF), they added.
Police have initiated a detailed inquiry into the case.
