The latest clash was triggered by the Governor ordering the police to take down SFI banners, which the organisation promptly put back up.
SFI banner outside Calicut University campus. (Supplied)
The tussle between Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan and the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) — a feeder organisation of the CPI(M) — intensified on the evening of Sunday, 17 December.
On one hand, the police said they would increase the security cover for the Governor for a seminar he was expected to attend a seminar at Calicut University in Kozhikode on Monday.
On the other hand, the SFI said it would protest against him at the venue the same day.
This, even as SFI activists burnt an effigy of Khan outside the campus of Calicut University, where he is currently staying.
And then there was a tussle between the local authorities and the SFI over the banners the students’ organisation put up against the Governor outside the university campus, which were taken down for some time before the SFI put them up again.
The Governor, who is also the chancellor of the university, has been staying at the university guest house for the last two days to defy an SFI declaration that it would not allow him to enter any higher-education centre in the state.
According to eyewitnesses, the SFI had put up three distinguishable banners over the main road leading to the campus ahead of Khan’s arrival.
The black banners with writings in white read “Mister Chancellor You are not welcome here”, “Sanghi chancellor wapas jao (Sanghi chancellor, go back)”, and “Chancellor go back”.
The conflict over them began as soon as Khan reached the campus on Saturday evening and saw them. Upset, he demanded that the police remove them within a day. But they remained on the campus until 7 pm on Sunday when the Governor tightened his stand.
On Sunday, the Governor went on an evening walk around the university campus and came across the three banners again.
Enraged, he summoned Malappuram district Superintendent of Police (SP) Sasidharan S and instructed him to have all the banners removed immediately.
He told the SP that it would be his personal responsibility to remove them. The Governor also warned of stern action against the SP if the police did not remove them.
“Shameless people,” he shouted at the police personnel standing around him for protection. “SFI chala rahi hai university (The SFI is running this university)!”
He also told the cops: “They will put up the banners and you will provide security to them!”
In the meantime, the Governor also instructed the Raj Bhavan secretary to seek an explanation from the university’s vice-chancellor on the issue. In a statement issued by the Raj Bhavan on Sunday, the Governor deemed the police’s inaction “collapse of the Constitutional machinery.”
Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan has taken serious note of the action of the State Police, on the direction of the Chief Minister, in placing posters defamatory to the Governor in the campus of Calicut University. The black banners and posters have been placed inside the… pic.twitter.com/TxQVjqx4Ha
— ANI (@ANI) December 17, 2023
New SFI banner outside Calicut University campus. (Supplied)
The police removed the banners by 7.30 pm. However, the SFI returned, led by Arsho. Its activists declared that they would raise more banners and dared the police to touch them.
“Our banners are political questions, they are political slogans. But just like the RSS that fears them, the Governor wants them removed,” Arsho told reporters before declaring that “hundreds of political banners will be raised throughout the campus before daybreak”.
The SFI leader also claimed that their activists never broke any law. He claimed that SFI maintained restraint despite the Governor’s provocation.
“But we are going to do an anti-democratic act here. We’re going to burn a banner raised by the RSS that says he is great,” Arsho said. The SFI activists burned that banner in the presence of the police.
They subsequently burnt an effigy of the Governor. They also put up banners with the same or similar content outside the campus.
Meanwhile, Arsho said of the cops: “You (the police) are free to clean the toilet of the Governor if he wants it. But you must be cautious when he dictates you to remove banners of the SFI.”
The tense situation on campus prompted the police to step up security at the university guest house where the Governor is staying.
Meanwhile, over 2,000 police personnel are expected to be pressed into action to ensure his security at a seminar at the university on Monday.
The SFI announced that it would protest against him at the seminar venue as well.
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