Kerala Governor asks Chief secretary, police chief not to take SFI attack case lightly

New Delhi/Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 12 (IANS) Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan on Tuesday reiterated his charge that the continuing attacks on him were being carried out under the directions of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, and asked the state chief secretary and police chief not to brush-off take the SFI attack case.

He was referring to the SFI activists who stopped his car on Monday evening while on his way to the Thiruvananthapuram airport.

“I have asked the chief secretary and the state police chief not to haul up this case as there is a provision for the Governor and the President of Section 124 under the IPC. The Chief Minister’s post doesn’t have this benefit,” said Khan when told that the arrested SFI students have been charged under flimsy charges,” said Khan, who arrived in the national capital on Monday late night.

“Yesterday three times I came under the protesters and what is to be noted is that these protesters were brought in police jeeps and after the incident they were taken back in these jeeps,” added Khan and slammed the police for putting charges under 300 A when a shoe was thrown at the vehicle carrying Chief Minister and his cabinet ministers.

He said, "The government is doing this to scare me, but I am not going to be scared.

“They are angry because after the chief secretary in an affidavit before the Kerala High Court explained about the financial situation, I have asked for a report on it. The chief minister was heard saying that the government need not reply to all questions asked by the governor. No CM has ever said such a thing. I will wait for 10 days, if no reply comes, I will go forward,” said Khan.

“In Kerala, the collapse of the Constitutional machinery has started. Now I am in Delhi and will return to Kerala and have a programme at Kozhikode on the 16th and I will have no problem if they show black flags, but if they come near my car, I will stop and get out of the car,” said Khan.

He slammed State Industries and Law Minister P. Rajeeve who said the governor should have sat in the car, to which he said, “Since the car was of high quality, the glass did not break. The car’s glass has been beaten up and there are lots of scratches and the inspection of it is presently on,”.

“The chief minister is behind this and this was a pre-planned attack,” said Khan and added that just because the Communist is ruling Kerala none should think an autocratic rule can take place, as India is a democracy and Kerala is a state only."

Levelling grave charges, Union Minister of State for External Affairs V. Muraleedharan said there seems to be a total collapse of law and order in Kerala.

Meanwhile, the SFI is in no mood to relent and have said their protest against the governor will continue and he will not be allowed entry to any campuses.