THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The state government will issue instructions to colleges not to implement Governor Rajendra Arlekar’s directive to observe August 14 as ‘Partition Horror Day’.
Higher Education Minister R Bindu told reporters on Wednesday that the state government’s position is that campuses in Kerala need not observe the day on the eve of Independence Day, as doing so could lead to “communal polarisation.”
The Minister stated that she has instructed the Director of Collegiate Education and the Director of Technical Education, both under the Higher Education Department, to convey the government’s stance to all colleges under their respective jurisdictions.
A circular issued by the Raj Bhavan last week had directed universities to organise seminars and commemorative events, including street plays and dramas, highlighting the “trauma” of India’s Partition. Vice-Chancellors were also asked to submit action plans for the observance.
The state government’s intervention followed reports that a few universities had passed on the Raj Bhavan’s instructions to their affiliated colleges.
Although Prime Minister Narendra Modi had appealed four years ago to observe August 14 as ‘Partition Horror Remembrance Day’, this is the first time state universities have been formally directed to implement the observance.
Previously, a similar directive from the Raj Bhavan asking universities to observe the anniversary of the Emergency on June 25 as ‘Constitution Assassination Day’ had sparked controversy at the University of Kerala, particularly over the display of a Bharat Mata portrait at the venue.