A church-run college denying students’ request for a space to offer namaz has triggered a controversy in Kerala, with the Bharatiya Janata Party stating that the demand was made by “extremist elements”, reported The Indian Express on Monday.

The row began on Friday when a group of Muslim female students at the Catholic Church-run Nirmala College in Muvattupuzha asked the institute’s administration to allot a room for them to offer prayers.

When their request was denied, a bunch of students surrounded Kannadan Francis, the college principal.

Francis stated that the college had received a complaint about a group of girls using a common room for offering namaz.

“A mosque is only 200 metres away from the college,” he was quoted as saying by The Indian Express. “Boys at the college go to the mosque at noon for prayers. It is allowed in all educational institutions and we have also allowed it. However, the girls wanted to use a college room for their prayer, saying that they were not allowed at the mosque.”

He said the college had told the students that a room could not be allotted for prayers.

The principal also clarified that those who made the request were not affiliated with any specific student organisation.

Meanwhile, Bharatiya Janata Party’s Kerala unit chief K Surendran said that students demanding space for namaz were trying to “stir up trouble” at educational institutions run by Hindus and Christians.

“Extremist elements are behind the demand,” Surendra said, reported The Indian Express. “The Left and the Congress are supporting it. Do colleges under Muslim management give premises for prayer for students from other religious communities? If Muslim groups are trying to foment trouble at colleges, BJP will give protection.”

The Students’ Federation of India, the student wing of the ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist), and the Muslim Students Federation, affiliated with the Indian Union Muslim League, have distanced themselves from the controversy. Both groups issued statements clarifying that their members were not involved in the demand.

K Anusree, the state president of the Students’ Federation of India, said the organisation stood for ensuring secularism on campuses. “If campuses allow religious practices of any particular community, such a move will affect the secular nature of the college campuses,” she said.