After Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan called Prof. Irfan Habib a “gunda” for allegedly heckling him at the inauguration of the 80 th Indian History Congress (IHC) at Kannur University in 2019 amidst the Citizenship Amendment Act agitation, in a telephonic chat with The Hindu, Prof. Habib said that “he is entitled to say whatever he likes to say, but it is not what happened”. Mr. Khan had, in recent days, stepped up his attack against Kannur University Vice Chancellor Prof. Gopinath Ravindran, accusing the academic of “plotting to attack” him at IHC venue, and alleged that Prof. Habib tried to suppress his voice physically at the event.
Prof. Habib addressed these allegations in the chat:
Also read: Kannur University Vice Chancellor plotted to attack me during history congress: Governor
Governor Arif Mohammed Khan had described you as a ‘street gunda’ alleging that you came directly at him for a physical fight at the Indian History Congress hosted by the Kannur University in 2019.
As a citizen of the country, he is free to say whatever he likes to say. He has called it [gunda]. It is for the people to judge. However, he is not a court of law. I suppose it is a free country, to a certain extent. I am not interested at all in any Governor or other matter [related to the controversy].
Mr. Khan had referred to a report from the “highest quarters” in New Delhi that a conspiracy was hatched by the Vice Chancellor of Kannur University to attack him at the venue of the Indian History Congress.
Such a report was not necessary as it happened in front of around 500 people and was widely reported in the newspapers the next day. The Vice Chancellor of Kannur University had invited Mr. Khan as the chief guest in his capacity as the Chancellor of the university. As the host institution, the university is entitled to choose the chief guest.
We [historians] went to the Kannur University, because it had hosted the session. The Governor was invited by the Vice Chancellor to welcome the delegates. It is for the people to judge whether you will say all these things [Governor’s controversial remarks at the IHC venue] when you are welcoming the delegates.
On Mr. Khan’s speech at the venue in which he quoted Maulana Azad as saying that partition took away the dirt, but left behind dirty water in potholes and now it is stinking.
Abul Kalam Azad did not say these things. It was wrongly attributed to him in Pakistan. He had made no such statement. But in Pakistan it was said that he had said all these things, which was totally wrong. When Mr. Khan misquoted Abul Kalam Azad, I stood up and asked him to quote Godse rather than Maulana Azad.
The Governor had alleged that his speech was interrupted on stage and from the audience while you tried to question his right to quote Abul Kalam Azad.
He is entitled to say what he is saying. But that is not exactly what happened [at the venue]. Nobody had raised any question on Abul Kalam Azad there.
