Bharat Mata row in Senate Hall; Kerala University VC suspends Registrar in unprecedented move

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala University Registrar KS Anilkumar, who denied permission to conduct an event due to the use of Bharat Mata portrait, was suspended by Vice Chancellor Dr. Mohanan Kunnummal. Joint Registrar P Harikumar will be given charge in his place.

It was an event scheduled in the university's Senate Hall to mark the 50th anniversary of the Emergency. However, the registrar denied permission for the event after he noticed the portrait of Bharat Mata placed on the stage. This led to protests from KSU and SFI on the university premises while the registrar, in one shocking move, announced that the event had been cancelled.

However, the Governor was not convinced, and he sought an immediate response from the registrar about the illegal provisions that forced him to cancel the event. The governor soon arrived in the hall and, amidst protest, walked toward the stage, leading to an erupting response from the BJP-affiliated crowd inside the hall.

Meanwhile, Registrar KS Anilkumar responded that he would approach the court against the suspension. Registrar said the VC's finding that permission for the program was denied after the Governor reached the venue was factually wrong.

There was a difference of opinion between the government and the Governor over the use of the Bharat Mata picture for government programs at Raj Bhavan. Education Minister V Sivankutty recently boycotted the program after seeing the Bharat Mata picture installed during a function at Raj Bhavan. Today's unusual suspension action is the latest in this dispute.