'Proud of Godse...' NIT Calicut professor booked for provocative comment on Facebook

NIT Calicut professor Dr. Shaija Andavan was booked by the Kunnamangalam police in Kozhikode for her pro-Godse comment on Facebook. A complaint was filed by SFI Kunnamangalam Area Committee member Ashwin.

Aishwarya Nair

First Published Feb 4, 2024, 8:41 AM IST | Last Updated Feb 4, 2024, 8:41 AM IST

Kozhikode: A case was registered against NIT Calicut professor Dr. Shaija Andavan based on a complaint by SFI Kunnamangalam Area Committee member Ashwin in connection with a comment she wrote on a Facebook post. She expressed pride in Nathuram Godse assassinating Mahatma Gandhi and saving India. The professor has been booked under IPC section 153 (wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot).

Kunnamangalam police in Kozhikode registered the case against Prof Shaija A, a senior faculty member of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at NIT-Calicut.

The comment came to light on the day of Martyrs' Day (Jan 30) to mark the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi. On a Facebook post by Hindutva advocate Krishna Raj who posted Godse's photograph with the words: "Hindu Mahasabha activist Nathuram Vinayak Godse. Hero of many people in India", the professor commented, "Proud of Godse for saving India".

Notably, on Thursday, student groups at NIT Calicut witnessed intense protests aimed at lifting the suspension of Vysakh Premkumar, a fourth-year student in the Department of Electronics and Telecommunications at the institute. Vyshakh faced consequences for his protest against celebrations on campus during the Ayodhya Ram Temple consecration on January 22.

Amidst the events, the NIT students union, KSU, SFI, and Fraternity Movement had charged that the institute's administration was attempting to saffronise the campus. Things were deteriorating gradually, and Shaija Andavan's remarks had already spurred discussions about whether college employees were loyal to radical right-wing ideology.

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