Former BJP worker in Kerala alleges his house was attacked for quitting the party

A former BJP-RSS worker from Kerala has filed a police complaint stating that his house was attacked after he quit the party over internal politics.

MC Sadasivan, a BJP worker of 30 years from Pandalam in Pathanamthitta says that on Tuesday, a group of people had hoisted a saffron flag in his house and dumped cow dung balls in his front yard. He also added that they had placed an 'irrikyapindam' (a symbol representing ostracisation, typically placed when a Hindu marries outside of his faith). The pindam is an earthen pot on which cow dung is placed and it is kept to show that the person is no longer a part of the family/community. 

On Wednesday, 54-year-old Sadasivan filed a complaint with the local police, stating that it was after he quit the party that he faced such attacks. His complaint also notes that his family had received threatening messages from people. 

The flag and cow dung balls were found in his house on Tuesday morning and were cleared. The police have also filed a case under sections 447 (punishment for criminal trespass) and 506 (i) (punishment for criminal intimidation). 

Speaking to local media, Sadasivan explained that in 2019, he had quit the local party unit in Pandalam over internal politics and problems which arose during protests over entry of women into the Sabarimala temple. 

“I left the BJP and formed Nammude Naadu, a local cultural organisation. I was working for that. In this time, workers from the party I was a part of earlier have come for certain discussions and have even asked me to join the party back,” he says. 

However Sivadasan was clear that he would not return to the party unless the petty politics had been solved. He says has also received threats earlier. 

Tuesday’s criminal trespass and attack had caused a rift in the local sangh parivar organisations. However, the BJP has reportedly distanced itself from the attack, with the Pathanamthitta BJP President stating that the party had nothing to do with it, and that these were fringe elements looking to create trouble. 

“We have taken Sadasivan’s complaint and filed a case in the issue. However, we we are yet to identify any accused in the case. The police have gone to the location to check for CCTV footage in order to identify the accused persons,” an officer at the Pandalam police station told TNM.