THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The display of an image of Bharat Mata holding a saffron flag at an event attended by Governor Rajendra Arlekar in Kerala University (KU) triggered massive protests by SFI and KSU activists on Wednesday, leading to a tense situation for nearly two hours at the varsity’s senate house campus.
The trouble began when the image, allegedly used by the RSS in its functions, was spotted at the Senate Hall, the venue of the event organised to mark the 50th anniversary of the Emergency. The programme, scheduled to begin at 5.30pm, was organised by Sree Padmanaba Seva Samithi, a pro-right wing organisation and attended by BJP leaders, party workers and supporters.
On being informed, KU Registrar K S Anil Kumar told the organisers that religious symbols could not be used in a programme held at the varsity. As organisers were reluctant to call off the programme, Anil told them in writing that the event had been cancelled for violating the terms and conditions for using the hall.
By then, SFI workers gathered outside the hall in huge numbers, shouting slogans. Pro-left Syndicate members joined in. KSU workers also marched to the varsity and some attempted to enter the hall, leading to arguments and eventually fist fights with BJP supporters who were in the audience. The police soon intervened.
Meanwhile, Arlekar informed the registrar he would be attending the event. Amid tight security, he arrived around 6.25pm and offered floral tributes before the image of Bharat Mata.
Such ‘Emergency’ won’t be tolerated: Guv on protests
In a veiled message to the ruling Left, Arlekar said his non-confrontational nature should not be mistaken as compromise. The governor also urged protesters to shun intolerance and adopt the path of dialogue. “When I came to Kerala I publicly said it is not my nature to have confrontation every time. But not having confrontation doesn’t mean I will be compromising,” Arlekar said, adding, “Such intolerance was not the ethos of this soil. We have to talk, discuss.”
The governor also decried the ‘undemocratic’ manner in which the student activists staged protests at the varsity. “Not allowing the governor to enter the hall! Is this democracy? I don’t want to target anybody, but this type of Emergency cannot be tolerated,” Arlekar said, adding that he was not a political leader and did not have political enmity with anyone. With student activists still gathered outside the main gate, the governor’s motorcade took an alternative exit route after the event.
SFI workers later took out a march from KU against alleged moves to turn universities into ‘Sangh parivar centres’. “SFI will stage fierce protests if the plan is to turn public events into RSS functions,” SFI state secretary P S Sanjeev told reporters. KSU has called an educational bandh in the state on Thursday. The student outfit has called for bandh in view of alleged attack by RSS-Yuvamorcha workers on KSU activists, who protested against the governor at University senate hall on Wednesday.