Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan’s Z security beefed up amid SFI black flag protest – Gudstory

There was high drama in Kerala’s Kollam district on Saturday when Governor Arif Mohammed Khan, facing the black flag protest of the SFI, got down from his car, clashed with the agitating Left student wing members, sat on the roadside and the Chief Minister Pinarayi targeted Vijayan. This appears to be another chapter in the Raj Bhavan vs ruling LDF face-off.

A visibly angry Arif Khan accused Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan of “promoting anarchy in the state”.

“He is the one who is directing the police to give protection to these law breakers, against whom several criminal cases are pending in courts, including that of the state president of the organization (SFI),” Khan alleged.

Governor Arif Khan also said that he had not staged any protest but was waiting for the police to show him a copy of the FIR after demanding action against the protesting members of the CPI-M-affiliated Students Federation of India.

Dramatic scenes were witnessed at Nilamel in Kollam, about 40 km from state capital Thiruvananthapuram.

After sitting there for more than two hours, Khan left the place only when the police showed him a copy of the FIR registered against 17 SFI workers under non-bailable provisions of the law.

The Kerala Governor also questioned whether the protesters would have been allowed to stand with the police on the roadside if the Chief Minister was passing through that route.

Kerala Governor Khan also claimed that the protesters tried to hit his vehicle.

According to the news agency report, when the Governor was on his way from Thiruvananthapuram to attend an event in Kottarakkara, he saw SFI protesters waving black flags and banners on the roadside near Neelamel which read, “Sanghi Chancellor go back”. PTI,

Angered, Khan ordered his vehicle to stop, got off the vehicle, and walked towards the SFI, shouting “Come” at them.

As he moved towards the protesters shouting at them, the police personnel deployed there acted as a barrier between him and the SFI workers, who kept shouting slogans at Khan.

After the police removed the protesters from the area, Khan sat down with a chair from a shop on the busy MC Road and demanded action against the agitators.

According to visuals shown on television, the Kerala Governor was heard telling his personal staff that he or whoever was in his office should be made the police commissioner. “Otherwise call the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO),” he was heard saying.

When officials there requested him to resume his journey, the Governor refused and retorted, “I will not go. You (police) were here giving them (protesters) security.”

“The police was standing there and giving them security. I will not leave from here. If the police are breaking the law, then who will maintain the law.”

Even as the Governor sat at a roadside shop surrounded by his officials and police, slogans could be heard demanding he “go back”.

Apart from the Kerala Police, Arif Mohammad Khan officials and local people gathered at the spot in large numbers after they decided to sit at the roadside shop.

Later, when journalists asked Governor Khan whether he had protested, he said that it was not so. Khan said, “This is not a protest. Why should I protest? Why would I protest? I can take action. I was waiting for the copy of the FIR to come.”

Milestone alert!
Livemint tops charts as fastest growing news website in the world Click here to find out more.

Unlock a world of benefits! From informative newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and personalized newsfeeds – it’s all here, just a click away! log in now!

Published: Jan 27, 2024, 03:15 PM IST