Police Complaint Against NIT Calicut Professor For Hailing Godse

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala police on Saturday registered a case against NIT Kozhikode professor for hailing Nathuram Godse.

Shaija Andavan, a professor with the mechanical engineering department of NIT Kozhikode, was booked for her comment "Proud of Godse for saving India" on a Facebook post that appeared under the profile name Krishna Raj on January 30, the Martyrdom Day of Mahatma Gandhi. The post also carried a picture of Nathuram Godse with a caption; Hindu Mahasabha activist Nathu Ram Godse, a hero for many Indians."

Kunnamangalam police registered the case under section 153 of IPC (wantonly giving provocation with the intent to cause a riot) on a complaint filed by SFI Kunnamangalam area committee secretary Ashwin. The SFI leaders have also urged the Kozhikode City Police Commissioner to take action on the matter. Similar complaints have been filed by Congress student wing KSU and League’s student outfit Muslim Students Front (MSF).

When contacted, Prof Shaija told DC; ``Yes, I came to know about the police complaint. Someone informed me about it. I have already deleted my comment. My statement was distorted. I am not supporting any killing. I feel some of the points made in Godse’s book "Why I Killed Gandhi" are very relevant."

Initially, Shaija Andavan categorically stated that she stood by her comment. However, with the comment triggering a major controversy she deleted it.

The controversial post came close on the heels of a group of pro-Sangh Parivar affiliated students chanting 'Jai Shri Ram' slogans and painting a map of India in saffron colour on the occasion of pran pratishtha in Ayodhya on January 22.

The NIT campus has witnessed clashes between rival groups of students following the Pran Prathistha event. The Kunnamangalam police had registered a case against 10 students in connection with the clash that broke out inside the NIT campus on the occasion of Pran Pratishtha Diwas.

The case was filed based on a complaint filed by Kailash, a student, who alleged that he was beaten up by a group of people for protesting against the saffron colouring of India's map.

The protests took a new turn with the NIT management handing out a year suspension to a Dalit B.Tech student Vyshakh Premkumar for unlawful assembly. He had organised a protest against the pran pratishtha in Ayodhya and the attempts by some sections to “saffronise” the campus.

The suspension triggered widespread protests by SFI, KSU and Fraternity, who held demonstrations and marches on the campus. This led to the closure of NIT for three days.

With protests gaining further momentum, the NIT management was forced to revoke Vyshak’s suspension.

Earlier, Kunnamangalam police also registered a case against 25 people belonging to SFI, KSU and fraternity organizations who took out a protest march to the NIT campus against the suspension of Vaishakh Premkumar.

NIT was shut down for three days following the student protests. Subsequently, the NIT authorities quashed the order handing out one-year-long suspension to Vyshakh.