Thiruvananthapuram | Five RSS-BJP workers, including a municipal councillor, were arrested on Thursday for raising slogans against Tushar Gandhi, the great-grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, demanding that he retract his statement against the saffron outfit.
BJP Neyyatinkara Municipal councillor Maheshan Nair, Krishnakumar, Hari Kumar, Sooraj and Anoop were arrested, police said.
Later, they were released on station bail, they said.
A case was registered against the five people under Sections 189(2), 191(2), 190, and 126(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) on charges of unlawful assembly, rioting, and wrongful restraint.
According to police, a small group of people, allegedly linked to the Sangh Parivar, raised slogans against Gandhi at the end of a function he attended at nearby Neyyattinkara on Wednesday evening.
Visuals aired by TV channels showed a group of men raising slogans against Gandhi, urging him to withdraw his statement.
Earlier, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan strongly condemned the alleged "Sangh Parivar attack" on Gandhi, stating that actions that suppress freedom of expression cannot be allowed in a democratic society.
Gandhi had arrived in Neyyatinkara to unveil the statue of the late Gandhian, P Gopinathan Nair.
In his speech, Gandhi had said that both the UDF and LDF, which have had a long history of fighting each other in the state, need to realise that another very dangerous and insidious enemy has entered Kerala--the RSS and BJP.
"The BJP we would be able to defeat, but the RSS is poison. And we have to be very cautious about it because if it spreads in the circulation system of our country, then all is lost," he said.
Tension gripped the area as BJP-RSS workers shouted slogans and blocked Gandhi's car.
The protesters said the municipal ward was represented by the BJP and that Gandhi should withdraw his remarks against RSS.
However, Tushar Gandhi left after raising the slogan "Gandhiji ki Jai," affirming that his stance remained unchanged.
Meanwhile, Gandhi said he would not initiate any legal action against the RSS-BJP workers.
"There was no physical assault. They stopped only my vehicle, and I will not take any action," he told a TV channel on Thursday.
The Congress has rallied behind Gandhi, extending support to him on the issue.
Speaking to reporters in Kochi, Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan alleged that the protest against Tushar Gandhi was an insult to Mahatma Gandhi and condemned it as a "deplorable act" of fascism.
"This cannot be tolerated, and the police and government should take stringent action," he said.
Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) chief K Sudhakaran MP issued condemned the incident.
"The communal forces that bury Gandhi while glorifying Godse have no place in Kerala's secular land," he said.
However, there was no immediate response from the RSS and BJP.
Thiruvananthapuram | Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday strongly condemned the alleged "Sangh Parivar attack" on Tushar Gandhi, the great-grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, which took place in the state a day earlier.
He also warned against attempts to block the visits of national and international figures to Kerala.
A day after a group of men, reportedly RSS-BJP workers, raised slogans against Gandhi in Neyyattinkara, urging him to withdraw a statement he had made against the RSS, Vijayan said that the mindset of those behind this act was no different from that of those who assassinated Mahatma Gandhi.
"This is highly condemnable. Actions that suppress freedom of expression cannot be allowed in a democratic society. Legal and democratic measures will be taken against such tendencies," the Chief Minister said in a statement.
Vijayan also emphasised the need to strengthen public opinion across society to isolate and reject such actions.
The Chief Minister noted that in Neyyattinkara, Tushar Gandhi had expressed his concern "that the soul of the nation was being afflicted by the cancer of communalism."
"Our culture respects even opposing viewpoints. The Sangh Parivar is tarnishing that very culture. Without succumbing to provocation, Tushar Gandhi simply raised a call of 'Jai Gandhi' and left. Attempts to block the visits of national and international figures to Kerala will not be tolerated," he said.
Vijayan further stated that a strong protest from secular and democratic society must arise against this incident.
"This is not a moment for any individual, community, or political movement that values democracy to remain silent. Only through such awareness and the resulting strong public protest can we safeguard our freedom of expression and other democratic rights," he said.
Speaking at an event organised to unveil the statue of the late Gandhian P Gopinathan Nair, Gandhi remarked that both the UDF and LDF, despite their long history of political rivalry in the state, must recognize a more dangerous and insidious threat—the RSS and BJP.
"The BJP we would be able to defeat, but the RSS is poison. And we have to be very cautious about it because if it spreads through the circulation system of our country, then all is lost," he claimed.
The police stated that a small group of people, allegedly linked to the Sangh Parivar, raised slogans against Gandhi at the end of the function.
No case has been registered in connection with the matter, they said.
Visuals aired by TV channels showed a group of men raising slogans against Gandhi, urging him to withdraw his statement.
