THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Yielding to the unwavering demand of the Raj Bhavan to take stringent action against the SFI workers who blocked the vehicle of Governor Arif Mohammed Khan and waved black flags at him on Monday night, the state police have invoked IPC section 124, which pertains to
assaulting the governor with an intent to restrain him from exercising his lawful powers, against the protesters.
The police were goaded into booking seven SFI members, who were arrested by the Cantonment police for their act against the Governor while he was on his way to the airport, under the stringent IPC section after the Raj Bhavan stuck to its guns claiming that Khan was “waylaid”. Immediately after the act, the governor had accused CM Pinarayi Vijayan of hatching a plan to harm him physically.
There were reports that the governor had corresponded with the Chief Secretary and the State Police Chief seeking strong action against the SFI workers. The Raj Bhavan also officially gave a statement to the top cops on Tuesday regarding the act and sought strong action against the accused under Section 124.
The protest against Khan was held at three places and the police had booked the SFI members under minor offences, including unlawful assembly, rioting, obstructing traffic, and assaulting public servants from discharging their duty.
Meanwhile, the police are contemplating action against its men for the security lapses that had embarrassed the department, sources said. As per sources, there were procedural lapses in the VIP movement. The governor’s motorcade, as per the security instructions, ought to move at a brisk pace when encountering a security threat. In Khan’s case, the vehicles came to a halt when the protesters emerged and that helped them surround his car. Also, there were intelligence inputs warning of protests against the governor in the wake of the ongoing tussle between him and the state governor over various issues. The SFI kept the pot boiling by announcing an agitation against him for appointing Sangh Parivar nominees to the varsities.
The police had prepared two routes for taking the governor to the airport. One was via Pettah-Pattoor road, which is the preferred route, while the second option was Thycaud-Thakaraparambu road. Cops were reportedly placed on the second route to confuse the protesters. The top cops now suspect that the protesters could have got wind of the exact route through which the governor was going to travel and the
leak of information might have happened from the cops.
“We will check how the protesters got the journey details of the governor,” said a senior police officer. The central government on the other hand has been keeping a tab on the happenings and might ask for a report from the state government on the incident.
A senior police officer said the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) can seek a report from the state if the governor escalates the matter with higher authorities in New Delhi.
“If the governor decides to take it up further, then the MHA can ask for a detailed report on the episode. In that case, the police will give a report on the incident and the actions that were taken in the aftermath,” the officer added.