Thiruvananthapuram: Seven activists of the Students' Federation of India (SFI), a student wing of the ruling CPI(M), were arrested and a case was registered against 17 others in connection with an attack on Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan.
The SFI activists arrested have been charged under IPC Sections 143, 149 (punishment for unlawful assembly), 147 (Punishment for rioting), 283 (Danger or obstruction in a public way or line of navigation), 353 (Assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), reports India Today.
According to the FIR, the activists disrupted traffic and prevented the police from discharging their official duty. The protestors alleged that Governor Khan appointed RSS nominees as members of the senate at Kerala University.
The SFI workers allegedly stopped the Governor’s car on Monday evening while on his way to the Thiruvananthapuram airport, with the protestors waving black flags and raising slogans against the Governor.
According to a Raj Bhavan source, the Governor’s car was hit by the protesters, while the police said that the SFI activists blocked the vehicle in only one place, reports India Today.
The Governor on Tuesday reiterated his charge that the continuing attacks on him were being carried out under the directions of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and asked the state chief secretary and police chief not to brush off the SFI attack case.
“I have asked the chief secretary and the state police chief not to haul up this case as there is a provision for the Governor and the President of Section 124 under the IPC. The Chief Minister’s post doesn’t have this benefit,” said Khan when told that the arrested SFI students have been charged under flimsy charges,” said Khan, who arrived in the national capital on Monday late night.
“Yesterday three times I came under the protesters and what is to be noted is that these protesters were brought in police jeeps and after the incident they were taken back in these jeeps,” added Khan and slammed the police for putting charges under 300 A when a shoe was thrown at the vehicle carrying Chief Minister and his cabinet ministers.
He said, "The government is doing this to scare me, but I am not going to be scared.
“They are angry because after the chief secretary in an affidavit before the Kerala High Court explained the financial situation, I have asked for a report on it. The chief minister was heard saying that the government need not reply to all questions asked by the governor. No CM has ever said such a thing. I will wait for 10 days, if no reply comes, I will go forward,” said Khan.
“In Kerala, the collapse of the Constitutional machinery has started. Now I am in Delhi and will return to Kerala and have a programme at Kozhikode on the 16th and I will have no problem if they show black flags, but if they come near my car, I will stop and get out of the car,” said Khan.
He slammed State Industries and Law Minister P. Rajeev who said the governor should have sat in the car, to which he said, “Since the car was of high quality, the glass did not break. The car’s glass has been beaten up and there are lots of scratches and the inspection of it is presently on”.
“The chief minister is behind this and this was a pre-planned attack,” said Khan and added that just because the Communist is ruling Kerala, no one should think an autocratic rule can take place, as India is a democracy and Kerala is a state only."
Meanwhile, the SFI has said that their protest against the governor will continue and he will not be allowed entry to any campuses.
With agency inputs