In the face of the controversy over his remark that students involved in assaulting teachers in colleges “should be beaten up” Governor M.K. Narayanan said here on Tuesday that he could not help it if such a controversy raged.
“Let the controversy go on, I can’t help that… I can’t help a controversy,” he told reporters when asked for his comments on the matter on the sidelines of an interactive session he had with the students of a city school.
The Association for Protection of Democratic Rights (APDR), a human rights organisation, has lodged a complaint with the West Bengal Human Rights Commission (WBHRC) seeking a withdrawal of the Governor’s remark and a public apology from him.
On August 31, Mr. Narayanan had made the remark while reacting to two incidents of teachers being physically assaulted by students in two colleges in the State.
Justice (retd) Asok Kumar Ganguly, chairperson of the WBHRC, has asked representatives of the APDR to meet him on Wednesday regarding their complaint against the Governor.
Alleging that that the Governor’s remarks were “provocative”, APDR secretariat member Ranajit Sur said, “Such irresponsible remarks from the constitutional head of the State are unwarranted as they may lead to infringement of human rights of students.”
“Being a former policeman, it [his remark] may encourage the police to beat up students,” added Mr. Sur, referring to Mr. Narayanan, a former National Security Advisor.
