Was frustrated and desperate, had given up hope, says Governor Khan

Kozhikode

Governor Arif Mohammed Khan on Monday said that he had reached a stage of frustration and desperation in the past three years and given up hope of making “improvement in the things as they stand.”

He was here to attend an event organised by the pro-Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh Kesari weekly.

The Governor alleged that he was feeling frustrated because he was being to asked to do things, which, in his opinion, were irregular and illegal, by applying political pressure. Mr. Khan claimed that he was “almost forced” to suspend the selection process for a new Vice-Chancellor for Kannur University. He was asked to reappoint the person, so that he could appoint the relatives of those who were in power.

Mr. Khan alleged that the Vice-Chancellors were given instructions not to carry out his orders. “It is not that I wanted to run the universities. It is the job of the V-Cs to run them; chancellors are there to oversee it.... You give me one example where I have tried to interfere in the domain or jurisdiction of the government, and I will not take even a minute to resign from the position,” he claimed.

Mr. Khan also referred to a letter written by eminent scientist C.N.R. Rao and an article written by K.N. Panikkar bemoaning the deplorable condition of the higher education sector in the State.

He said that the judgments given by the Supreme Court and the Kerala High Court in cases related to appointments in universities, however, had given him hope. “As luck would have it, the judgments in the last few weeks have made the situation crystal clear. I see hope and light at the end of the tunnel. The autonomy of the universities can be restored now,” Mr. Khan said.