Thiruvananthapuram, 27 January (H.S): There was an attempt on the life of Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan on Saturday morning by activists of the CPI(M). The dastardly act took place at Nilamel, a border town between Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam districts while the Governor was on his way to attend an official function. When the Govenor?s cavalcade consisting of four cars reached Nilamel, a group of CPI(M) activists waylaid the vehicle waving black flags and started hitting on the windshield and bonnet of the car in which the Governor was travelling. They shouted obscene slogans against Arif Mohammed Khan.
When the Governor got down from the car, the insurgents escaped to safety even as the police remained mute spectators. The cops persuaded the Governor to get back into the car but he refused to entertain their plea. ?I know the perpetrators of the crime were deputed by the chief minister. I do not have any issues with them or they waving black flags at me and shout slogans because they are entitled to stage their democratic rights. But attacking the official car is a serious action and hence I’ll inform about this to the Prime Minister?s Office and the Home Minister?s Office,? said the Governor.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had turned furious when the Governor in his Republic Day address at the capital city called for a cessation of external interference in the affairs of the universities in the State. ?This kind of interference was leading to the destruction of the autonomy and quality of these institutions,? the Governor had said. Vijyan, also addressed as Karana Bhoothan by party cadres saw red in this reference though the Governor had waxed eloquent on the major achievements of the State.
The union Home Ministry, within hours of the attack on the Governor, upgraded his security to that of Z Plus category and the commandoes of the CRPF took charge of his security details which were handled by the Kerala Police till then.
The CPI(M) cadres and its student wing activists have been staging demonstrations and road sieges in places visited by the Governor because of his refusal to kowtow to the party line. The Kerala Police have registered a case under Section 126 of the IPC against 20 CPI(M) activists for the attack on the Governor.
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