Thiruvananthapuram: The opening ceremony of the Global Science Festival was conducted on a dimly lit stage to prevent Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who inaugurated the event, from getting annoyed over bright lights.
The function was held at Science Park at Thonnakkal in Thiruvananthapuram district on Monday evening. A team from the Kerala Police which inspected the arrangements before the Chief Minister’s programme did not allow the organisers to switch on any of the bright lights directed towards the stage. Instead, only a few dim lamps behind the stage were kept on during the Chief Minister’s speech.
Incidentally, the Chief Minister had been perturbed over the bright illumination on stage during the recent Nava Kerala Sadas at S B College ground at Changanassery and criticized the arrangements at the venue itself. Pinarayi then said that those who provided the illumination were giving the entire attention to those on the stage while keeping the audience in the dark. Subsequently, the lights directed towards the stage were switched off, before the Chief Minister continued his speech.
Following this incident, the police exercised extra caution at the inauguration of the Science Festival. As there was insufficient illumination on the stage, a special light was arranged on the podium to enable the Chief Minister to read out a prepared speech.
A few months ago, the police had registered a case and seized the mike equipment after there was humming in the microphone while Pinarayi was addressing a commemoration meeting of former chief minister Oommen Chandy in Thiruvananthapuram, sparking a controversy.
