Kerala: Calicut Uty turns into a fortress as SFI organises protest against Governor

Kozhikode: Calicut University in Kerala has been turned into a fortress after the Student Federation of India's (SFI) agitation against Governor Arif Mohammad Khan who is scheduled to attend a seminar on the campus on Monday evening.

The governor is taking part in a seminar being jointly organised by Sanatan Dharma Chair and Bharatiya Vichara Kendram on the topic "Sree Narayana Guru Prophet of Renaissance Movement". Entry to the seminar will be restricted only to pass holders.

Leaders of the RSS and BJP are expected to attend the seminar along with representatives of other Sangh Parivar outfits. The police have made heavy bandobast within and outside the campus following the SFI call to organise massive protests against the governor. The governor who arrived in Kozhikode on Saturday, decided to stay at the university guest house. The SFI had protested ahead of his arrival on the campus and put up huge banners saying “Sanghi Chancellor Go Back”, and “Mr. Khan this is Kerala”.

The police had arrested and removed the SFI activists. However, on  Sunday evening the Governor got the authorities to pull down the banners which led to a fresh bout of protests by SFI.

The governor also issued a statement saying that the constitutional machinery was on the verge of breakdown in the state. He accused Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan of sponsoring the student protests.

The chief minister hit back at the governor accusing him of provoking the students by making senseless statements.

As part of the security measure, the police have announced that the students and others would not be allowed to enter the university campus through the main gate. The black banners put up by the SFI inside the campus were removed by police late on Sunday night after the Governor came out of the guest house and directed officers to pull down the banners. However, SFI activists hvae put up fresh banners outside the campus.

Meanwhile CPM youth front, DYFI has decided to jump into the agitation against the Governor. Protest meetings would be held at  2000 centres across the state on the slogan "Sanghi Governor Go Back." Black banners condemning the governor's actions will also be put up across the state as part of the protest.

The DYFI alleged that the governor, who is also the chancellor of the universities in the state, was packing the university senate with Sangh Parivar activists and sympathisers to "saffronise" the higher education sector in the State.

The governor is throwing all constitutional norms to the wind, refusing to accept the bills passed by the democratically elected state government and attempting to sabotage the decisions of the government, which has no place in Kerala, the DYFI said.