Tension in Thanjai as Left parties wave black flags at Guv

TIRUCHY: Tension prevailed in Thanjavur for a while after the members from Left parties waved black flags at Governor RN Ravi, who visited the Tamil University for the convocation programme on Monday. Two scholars from the student union were also removed from the hall as a precaution.

The 13th Convocation of Tamil University was held on Monday in which Governor Ravi distributed degrees to as many as 325 graduates while the Vice Chancellor V Thiruvalluvan presented the annual report in the presence of the Minister for School Education Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi.

Earlier, the members from CPI and CPM announced a black flag protest against the Governor and so a heavy posse of police was posted all along the routes of the Governor to the University.

Two scholars removed from function hall

Meanwhile, the police removed MPhil graduate G Aravidasamy, state president of SFI and John Vincent, a PhD scholar and district president of Tamil Nadu Student Federation. The duo were taken to a separate room and the police checked their belongings. Since John Vincent who was wearing the white gown for the convocation was found to be wearing black shirt inside, the police asked him to remove the shirt and wear a shirt with some other colour and this resulted in intense argument between the police and the scholars.

However, they were made to stay out of the hall until the convocation ceremony was over and the Vice Chancellor Thiruvalluvan conferred the respective degrees to the duo after the Governor had left the function hall.