DMK-Guv clash escalates as Ravi alleges midnight threats to VCs

The ongoing tussle between Tamil Nadu’s ruling DMK and Governor RN Ravi intensified on Friday, with the Governor accusing the state government of using police power to prevent Vice-Chancellors (VCs) of state universities from attending an academic conference in Udhagamandalam.

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Ravi declared that state chief minister MK Stalin's behaviour was reminiscent of the Emergency imposed by late former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

In a post from Raj Bhavan's official handle on X, Governor Ravi accused Stalin of using “telephonic threats” and “secret police” to block participation in the event.

“VCs who reached Ooty had midnight knocks on their hotel room doors. They were threatened by the police with dire consequences to their life and told they wouldn’t be allowed to return home if they attended the conference,” he said.

He also claimed that one VC had been taken to a police station on the day of the event and that others had written to him saying the state government had warned them not to participate.

Ravi questioned whether Tamil Nadu had become a police state and raised concerns about academic freedom.

“Is the Chief Minister afraid of rising academic standards of state universities which largely cater to Dalit and poor students?” he asked.

“One of our Vice Chancellors is in the police station. Those who reached Ooty faced something unprecedented. The secret police and the special branch threatened them saying if you participate, you will not be able to go home,” Ravi said.

In response to Ravi, DMK Rajya Sabha MP P Wilson said,“How can a Governor make such baseless allegations against his own Government? The Vice-Chancellors have not attended this illegal conference called by you because they understand that your intention is to poison our universities with a particular ideology and politicise them.”