THIRUVANTHAPURAM: Facing flak from various quarters over the alleged mark list controversy surrounding its student wing leader, the ruling CPI (M) in Kerala on Wednesday claimed that there was a huge conspiracy behind it and a comprehensive probe should be conducted to find out the “force” behind such “fake” charges.

It also made it clear that if anyone had done anything illegal, he or she should have to face the legal proceedings, and there was no need for the party to protect anyone.

The controversy erupted after the mark list of SFI state secretary P M Arsho, a student of Maharaja’s College in Ernakulam, showed that he “passed” even though he did not attend any exam. K Vidhya, a former activist of the Leftwing student outfit, also landed in trouble after she was found to have forged a fake experience certificate from the Maharaja’s College to secure a teaching job at another college. When his reaction was sought over the allegations being faced by the SFI leader in the mark list case, CPI(M) state secretary M V Govindan said a huge conspiracy is being hatched against the Left outfit.

“We understand that a huge conspiracy is going on against the SFI in this regard. A comprehensive probe should be conducted to find out the force behind the news that puts the SFI in a bad light,” he said. “There is no need for the party and the government to protect anyone in both the incidents,” Govindan added.

Accusing the media of taking a stand against the left outfit based on allegations, the leader also sought to know how a person could clear an examination without appearing for it. Reacting to the mark list issue, Senior CPI (M) leader A Vijayaraghavan said it was just a “technical error”. Those with common sense could understand that it was just a technical issue, but the matter was deliberately being used for anti-CPI (M) propaganda, he said.

Asked about the experience certificate forgery case against the former SFI leader, he said if anyone had indulged in malpractice, he or she shall have to face the legal proceedings. Meanwhile, Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala came down heavily on the SFI leadership over the allegations and accused Govindan of defending the accused persons. “These incidents and the justification of M V Govindan are showing the degradation of the CPI (M). The Marxist party state secretary has stooped to the level of justifying any wrongdoing,” he told reporters here. KSU, the students’ wing of the Congress, already alleged that in the mark-list of the third semester archaeology examination list, it is shown that Arsho had passed the exam even though he did not take it up.

The opposition further alleged that Vidhya also got the help of the SFI leadership in forging the fake experience certificate. The alleged fraud committed by Vidhya came to light after she had submitted the forged document before an interview panel for the post of a guest lecturer in Malayalam in a government college in Attappady in Palakkad. When some of the panelists grew suspicious about the seal and logo in the experience certificate produced by Vidhya, they had got in touch with Maharaja’s College authorities who made it clear that no such person had worked as a guest lecturer there during the period mentioned in the letter.

The management also lodged a police complaint against the accused, who was also a student in the same college years ago. Based on the complaint, a case was registered against Vidhya also under non-bailable section.