Amid the controversy over a student's suspension for staging a protest against a 'saffron-coloured map of India' painted on campus, the National Institute of Technology, Calicut, has made the headlines again. The Kerala Police booked a professor at the institute for allegedly posting a Facebook comment that 'praised' Nathuram Godse.
On 30 January – the death anniversary of MK Gandhi – Prof Dr A Shaija had allegedly commented under a Facebook post: 'Proud of Godse for saving India'. The post, which was uploaded by an advocate, stated: 'Hindu Mahasabha activist Nathuram Godse, a hero of many in Bharat'.
While Shaija deleted the comment, screenshots of the same went viral, after which Kozhikode MP MK Raghavan posted on X:
"I am ashamed to hear an inappropriate comment against Mahatma Gandhi and praise of Godse's deed by a person holding a responsible post in NIT, a premier institution falls under my constituency. Appropriate exemplary action should be taken by the authorities concerned."
The Congress MP also wrote to the Director of the institute, Prof Prasad Krishna, over the same, urging him to take action against Prof Shaija.
As per The Indian Express, Kunnamangalam Police in Kozhikode filed a case against Shaija under Section 153 (wantonly giving provocation, with intent to cause riot) of the Indian Penal Code.
Speaking to the publication, the professor, who has been working at the institute for 25 years, said that her "comment was not meant to appreciate the killing of Gandhiji."
"I had read Godse's book, Why I Killed Gandhi. Godse was also a freedom fighter. There is a lot of information and revelations in his book, which the common man does not know. Godse has enlightened us in his book. Against this backdrop, I had commented on the advocate's Facebook post. When I realised that people have started distorting my comment, I deleted it," IE quoted her as saying.
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