The flagpole that principal K Falgunan took away and put out of the Brennan College campus in Thalassery, Kannur, has been reinstated by ABVP workers. For two days, there has been a lot of protest and threats circling the principal after his act of removing the flagpole that the ABVP had hoisted on Wednesday. The principal then spoke out to the media about the death threats he has received from ABVP activists and police has been deployed in front of his house for protection.

“The principal has not made any written complaint. But there has been a threat against him and a fear that there would be an attack by the RSS-BJP workers. So police are deployed in front of his house. Police also routinely check the road outside the college campus,” says Sub-Inspector of Dharmadom, under which the college falls.

Videos of the principal explaining the incident that led to his plucking the flagpole away have been put online. “Last day, they (ABVP workers) came to me to ask permission for conducting a bali dhaan ceremony. I told them about the law and order situation. But they said they need to put up a flagpole only for half an hour. They hoisted the flag, did a floral tribute, called out slogans and everything. When it was not over in 45 minutes, I checked. There were many students around,” he says. Apparently to avoid any political tensions in the campus, the principal took the flag away.

When pictures of it came online, Sangh Parivar activists took out a protest march towards the principal’s home. Falgunan says in the video that there have been threats and this should be treated as his ‘statement before death’.

On Thursday, the flag was re-hoisted without the principal’s permission.

BJP state president PS Sreedharan Pillai put a Facebook post saying the principal is doing the hooligan work of the SFI. “Everyone knows that the teachers unit of the CPI(M) gives all support to the hooliganism of the SFI,” Pillai wrote.