Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan on Monday alleged that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had 'conspired' to send people to hurt him physically. The governor's accusations came a day after his vehicle was allegedly hit by activists of the Students Federation of India (SFI), the student wing of the CPI(M), while he was on his way to the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport to leave for Delhi.
"It is the CM, I am saying it clearly, who is conspiring and sending these people to hurt me physically. The 'goondas' have taken charge of the roads of Thiruvananthapuram," Khan alleged. Black flags were waved at Khan at three places and out of them, at two places, his car was hit by the protesters, a Raj Bhavan source told PTI.
Police, on the other hand, said that the Governor's vehicle was blocked by the SFI activists only at one place and seven people of the student outfit have been arrested. In the other two incidents, only black flags were waved and in connection with that around 10-12 SFI activists have been taken into custody.
"Is it possible that if a CM programme is going on, cars with protesters will be allowed there? Will they (police) allow anybody to come near the car of the CM? Here cars of the protesters were standing there and police pushed them into their cars and they ran away," the governor told reporters.
This is the second consecutive day when SFI activists waved black flags at the Governor. The activists have been accusing the Governor of filling up University senates with “Sangh Parivar men”.
The convoy incident has triggered a political firestorm in the state with the Congress, the UDF opposition led by it and the BJP alleging a breakdown of law and order. Leader of Opposition in the state assembly V D Satheesan said such allegations against a CM was a first in the history of the state and questioned whether attempt to murder cases would be registered against the SFI activists who blocked the Governor's vehicle.
