High drama unfolded at Nilamel in Kollam on Saturday when Governor Arif Mohammed Khan staged an impromptu protest demanding the arrest of Students Federation of India activists who staged a black flag demonstration while he was on his way to attend a programme at Kottarakara.
Seeing the protesters holding black flags and banners, Mr. Khan got off his vehicle and rushed towards the students shouting hatt, hatt as they continued to raise ‘go back’ slogans.
Though the law enforcers shielded him and removed all protesters, a fuming Governor took a chair from a wayside shop and sat down demanding action. Despite consistent efforts from police officers to pacify him, the Governor refused to budge till he saw the FIR against the protesters.
Alleging conspiracy and blaming Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan for the development, an infuriated Mr. Khan was seen asking his staff to connect him to Union Home Minister Amit Shah or the Prime Minister’s Office.
Asking “if the police itself is breaking the law, who will uphold the law?”, he continued his protest for nearly two hours. When the police informed him about the arrest of SFI activists, he said it was a group of around 50 people and demanded to know about the rest.
He also wanted the copies of the FIR to know the provisions slapped on the students. Pointing out the ‘treatment the police had meted out to those who came near the bus of the Navakerala Sadas’, he said he would not move till the matter was settled.
As he ended his protest, Mr. Khan said the protesters were brought in police cars under the instructions of the Chief Minister. He added that he was not protesting and only waiting for the reports to come.
The Governor also alleged that the government was trying to provoke some drastic action to divert attention from its failures.
Before leaving the location, Mr. Khan’s staff also handed over some money to the wayside shop owner to compensate for the loss of his business.
