Kerala on Wednesday witnessed a rare spectacle of its first citizen sitting in fast for a day to express his solidarity with the women and girl children in the State. Governor Arif Mohammed Khan staged a day-long fast along with Gandhians in Thiruvananthapuram anguished over the unprecedented increase in the attacks against women and girl children as well as the dowry deaths in the State.
Governor Khan launched his fast at 8 am in the Raj Bhavan and concluded the same at 5 pm at Gandhi Bhavan where he greeted the followers of Gandhi who staged a day-long fast and prayer. K Ayyappan Pillai, the 107 year old Gandhian turned out to be the cynosure of all eyes.
This is the first time in the history of Kerala a reigning Governor staged a fast like this. While addressing the prayer meeting in the evening Governor Arif Mohammed Khan exhorted the Kerala society to stand unitedly in opposing the dowry system which has claimed the lives of hundreds of girls.
“Tonight I am writing to all representatives of the people including members of legislative assembly and parliament to ensure that they do not participate in marriages in which dowry is involved. I will also write to vice-chancellors of all universities to get an undertaking from all graduates that they would not accept or give dowry and the system itself is a crime,” declared the Governor.
He said that vice chancellors should have the power to cancel the degrees awarded to persons who have accepted or given dowry. The Governor reminded the youth and their parents that degrees were not bargaining chips to be used in the marriage market. “Mahatma Gandhi had written many times that the system of dowry discredits the degree and education. Girls should refuse to get married with persons who demand dowry. The bridegroom’s mother has an important role to play in the eradication of this system. They should bear in mind that they are mothers not only to boys but to girls too,” said the Governor.
Governor Khan said that he had a discussion with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan about the fast and the latter was supportive and enthusiastic about the move. Kerala has seen an unprecedented increase in attacks on women and girl children during the last 18 months and this further shot up in the January 2021 to May 31 period.
The Governor had called on the parents of 23-year-old Vismaya who was found under mysterious circumstances in her husband’s house following complaints about dowry harassment.
Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president K Sudhakaran and BJP state president K Surendran said the Governor’s fast was further proof of the fact that women and girl children were not safe in Kerala.