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Kerala Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar has sparked a fresh confrontation with the state government by directing university Vice Chancellors to mark August 14 as Partition Horrors Remembrance Day, a first of its kind order from the Raj Bhavan.
The circular, sent on August 11, instructs universities to organise seminars and theatrical performances depicting the mass displacement, communal violence, and human suffering during the 1947 Partition. As the ex-officio Chancellor of state universities, Arlekar has also sought detailed action plans from Vice Chancellors to be submitted to the Raj Bhavan.
The move has drawn sharp criticism from both the ruling CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF).
State Education Minister V Sivankutty called the Governor’s directive an “RSS-backed programme” and a “clear encroachment” on the rights of the elected government.
“We will not accept this in any form. The Governor is attempting to run a parallel administration without the state cabinet’s approval, and this is not acceptable at all,” Sivankutty said.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan also condemned the directive, stating, “August 15 is a reminder of India’s anti-imperialist struggle and the brutalities unleashed by the British to suppress it. The Sangh Parivar, which had no role in the freedom movement and served the British Raj, now seeks to undermine Independence Day by promoting divisive agendas. The Governor’s directive to universities to observe August 14 as ‘Partition Horrors Day’ is unconstitutional and unacceptable. Kerala will never allow its campuses to be turned into stages for their divisive agenda.”
Leader of Opposition VD Satheesan accused Arlekar of acting as “a spokesperson for the RSS” and demanded that the Chief Minister officially register the state’s protest.
“It is unconstitutional for the Governor to take decisions and act in parallel to the state government, sidelining it,” Satheesan said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi first declared August 14 as Partition Horrors Remembrance Day in 2021, ahead of India’s 75th Independence Day, with the stated aim of reminding the nation “to remove social divisions and strengthen the spirit of unity, social harmony, and human empowerment.” The University Grants Commission (UGC) in 2022 also directed universities to mark the day with exhibitions.
The controversy adds to ongoing tensions between the Governor’s office and the state government over higher education. Last month, Arlekar had invited Vice Chancellors to attend the Gyan Sabha, a national education conference organised by a Sangh Parivar-affiliated body. It saw the participation of four state university heads.