The Madurai police have registered a criminal case against several senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders, including Tamil Nadu BJP President K. Annamalai, as well as members of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Hindu Munnani, for allegedly making provocative and communal remarks during the Murugan Bakthargal Manaadu.
According to the First Information Report (FIR) filed at the Anna Nagar police station, the accused include BJP Tamil Nadu President K. Annamalai, state BJP chief Nainar Nagendran, RSS South Zone president Vanniyarajan, Hindu Munnani’s Kadeshwara Subramaniam and secretary Muthukumar, along with other key figures from Hindu right-wing organizations.
The event, held on June 22, attended by lakhs of devotees and organized amid controversy over Thiruparankundram Hill, has sparked a political and legal storm in Tamil Nadu.
They have been booked under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including those pertaining to promoting enmity between groups, hurting religious sentiments, and spreading false information with intent to cause alarm and unrest.
The case was filed following a complaint by Vanjinathan, representing the Madurai Madha Nallinakka Makkal Kootamaipu, a secular organization based in Madurai.
The complaint accuses the event’s organizers and speakers of violating conditions laid down by the Madras High Court, which had initially denied permission for the event, citing potential threats to law and order.
The court later allowed the gathering on the condition that it would be apolitical and refrain from targeting any community or ideology.
However, the speeches made during the event reportedly breached that agreement. Annamalai, while addressing the gathering, made a veiled attack on the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) by claiming that the conference’s success was a choice of “Swami over Nidhi.”
This story was originally published in maktoobmedia.com. Read the full story here.