Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala governor Arif Mohammed Khan on Saturday faced angry protests from a section of delegates and students at the inauguration of the 80th edition of Indian History Congress in Kannur, north Kerala, for defending the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and criticising the ongoing agitations against the new law.
Trouble arose when the governor tried to defend the BJP government at the Centre and criticised the anti-CAA and anti-NRC agitations currently going on in the country. Soon student delegates from JNU, Jamia Milia Islamia University and other universities and a section of delegates rose to protest against the governor’s remarks.
“You have no right to resort to violence or to create disturbance. If you want to show black flags you can show show it,” he told the protesters.
The governor said that he was defending the Constitution and would not support any act that poses a threat to it. At this point more delegates rose from their seats and joined the protesters displaying anti-CAA and anti-NRC placards. As the protests continued, Mr Khan remarked, “You can’t shout me down.”
This prompted a section of delegates to raise slogans: “Kerala governor, shame shame.”
Soon the police swung into action and took four students into custody. They were let off later.
CPI(M)’s Rajya Sabha MP K.K. Ragesh opposed the police move to take a woman research scholar in custody.
When the Governor tried to justify his remarks quoting Mahatma Gandhi and Maulana Azad, veteran historian Irfan Habib, who was on the dais, asked him to speak on Godse. He also asked the governor to conclude his speech as he had exceeded the allotted time.
Later, reacting to the protests Mr Habib said, “The governor belongs to the BJP and their MP has said that Godse is a deshbhakt.” He added that politics can’t be separated from history. “If you shut down the Internet, if you close education, how can historical research continue in Kashmir?” he asked.
Mr Khan said he was compelled to digress from his written speech as Mr Ragesh and Mr Habib, who had spoken ahead of him, had referred to the threat to the Constitution. “I came with a prepared text. I am under oath. I am officially charged with the responsibility to protect, preserve and defend the Constitution. But if somebody makes such statements, then it becomes my duty to speak out. The Indian History Congress has been intolerant during the past two decades,” the governor added.
Mary, one of the students who was taken into custody, justified the protest. “As a student and as a person from Assam, I am not going to back down. I will have to take up the cause of my people because they have been silenced using force,” she said.
Though the students had staged a protest before the governor’s arrival at the venue, the police did not allow the protesters inside.
The governor later summoned Kannur University’s VC Gopinath Raveendran and syndicate members and sought recorded footage and photographs of the event. Mr Khan wanted to know if there was any breach of security and protocol.
Kerala Raj Bhavan will examine the footage and take a decision.
