The Thanthai Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam (TPDK) has filed a writ plea in the Madras High Court seeking permission to conduct the 'Panrikku Poonool podum porattum' festival on August 7. The group went to court after the police denied them permission and reportedly threatened preventive arrests if they held the event, reports TNIE.
According to reports, Justice MS Ramesh, before whom the petitions came up on Friday, said the matter will be taken up on Tuesday, August 8, and asked the the public prosecutor to file the counters to the case. The TPDK has also requested the court to grant permission to conduct Ravana Leela on the same date at the Sanskrit College in Mylapore. With this, the HC has indirectly refused to allow the event on August 7.
'Panrikku Poonool podum porattum', a protest where pigs will be made to wear the holy thread, is set to be held on Avani Avittam, which is a sacred day for Brahmins in Tamil Nadu. It is on this day that they change their sacred threads in a yearly ceremony. According to the TPDK, holding a protest on this day, will create shockwaves amongst the Brahmin community.
The group earlier told TNM that they were conducting the event to oppose the growing influence of the upper caste, as the relevance of the RSS grew under the BJP regime.
The group also wants to burn effigies of Rama, Lakshmana and Seetha as part of the Ravana Leela.