Kerala government removes Governor Arif Mohammad Khan from the post of Chancellor

Amid escalating conflict, the Kerala government has removed Governor Arif Mohammad Khan from the post of Chancellor of Kerala Kalamandalam Deemed-to-be University. After the increasing face-off between the government and the governor in the state, Arif Mohammad Khan was removed from the chancellor.

The state government has announced that it is changing the rules of the university to replace Arif Mohammad Khan with an eminent figure in the field of arts and culture.

The Kerala government said the governor is the representative of the BJP-led government at the Center and is known for his daily confrontations with the state's Democratic Front (LDF) administration.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's administration has said it no longer wants a governor at the helm of universities in the state. The differences between the two sides were increasing over the functioning of universities, including the appointment of vice-chancellors.

The amended rules of the Deemed University also state that the governance and management structure of Kerala Kalamandalam will follow the decisions of the state government.

The move comes a day after a clash between governors and governments in three non-BJP-ruled southern states. Kerala had proposed a special ordinance to replace Arif Mohammad Khan as the chancellor of state universities.