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On Wednesday, October 1, retired Kerala top cop Jacob Thomas donned the khaki again—not the Kerala police’s uniform that he hung up in 2020, but the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s (RSS) ganavesham. The former Director General of Police (DGP) arrived in the unmistakable khaki pants and white shirt for a joint celebration of Vijayadashami and the RSS’s centenary anniversary conducted by the organisation’s Kumarapuram unit at Pallikkara in Ernakulam district.
Even though Jacob Thomas has been closely associated with the RSS for the past few years, Wednesday’s event was different—this was the first time he appeared in a public event wearing the uniform.
Speaking at the event, he said, "RSS has no religion, no language, no regionalism, no caste. This is an organisation that includes everyone and seeks everyone's strength.” Speaking to TNM after the event, he revealed that he is not a fresher to RSS events. In fact, he said he has attended RSS events for several years now, including during his time as a civil servant.
“While I was in service, I used to attend RSS functions in Kerala. I used to visit Bharatiya Vichara Kendra in Thiruvananthapuram, where they do research at their beautiful library. Having two PhDs, I am attracted to anyone who does research and publishes books or articles. During that time, I also got familiar with the RSS pracharaks in India,” he said.
‘Attracted to RSS’ objectives’
The former DGP said he was introduced to RSS ideology in 1997, when he was on a personal trip with his friend, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s then Kodagu district president, Kombarana Ganapathy Bopaiah. “He invited me for tea at a school managed by the RSS. The school manager, who was a friend of Bopaiah, told me about the RSS. I saw several posters in the school about nation building. Even though I knew what the RSS was, my closest encounter was that time,” he explained.
He said that the encounter introduced him to the ideals and objectives of the RSS. He explained that he understood that RSS has two objectives: rebuilding the nation and serving the people. “Since I was also doing the same things as a civil servant, I decided to ally with an organisation that had similar objectives, mission, and purpose as I,” he said.
He spoke to TNM about how one is under the political executive while in government service. “Most of the policies are for the benefit of the public and generally have no constraints, but sometimes it would not be like that. As an officer in public service, you may not be in a position to object,” he recalled.
“In RSS, there is no confusion or deviation from its mission—that we are for nation building, for real service,” he stressed.
The values of the RSS contradict the Indian Constitution, pointed out journalist and political commentator Ullekh NP. He added that associating with them is an irresponsible act on the part of those in positions of power. “RSS’s so-called values are regressive and have no connection with the Indian Constitution. In fact, they stand in sharp contrast to the inclusive nature of the Constitution. RSS’s intentions and goals are extremely divisive,” he told TNM.
Commenting on Jacob Thomas’s appearance in the event, he said that he believes the former DGP is not doing this out of moral grounds, but as a means to associate with the big and powerful. “How does he feel about the RSS funding leaders who say Christians are alien to this culture and nation?” Ullekh questioned.
When asked about the polarising politics of RSS, Jacob Thomas told TNM that people on the wrong side are the ones not supporting RSS. “RSS is on the side of dharma—good, right, and rightest. There is another side, the adharma, evil, the wrong side. People who are doing wrong, doing gold smuggling, narcotic trafficking, or any other unhealthy practices that harm society, will not support the RSS.”
He explained his sartorial choice for Wednesday’s event was because it was an event commemorating the organisation’s 100th anniversary. He added that he will attend another anniversary celebration in Ernakulam on October 2.
Jacob Thomas began public service in 1987 as an Assistant Superintendent of Police and retired from service in 2020 as the managing director of The Metal Industries Limited, Shoranur. A year after retirement, in 2021, he joined the BJP. He also contested in the 2021 Kerala Assembly election from Irinjalakuda constituency of Thrissur district. He did not manage to secure the seat.
In October 2024, R Sreelekha, a retired IPS officer and the first woman DGP of Kerala, joined the BJP. Addressing the media alongside then state president K Surendran at her residence in Thiruvananthapuram, she said it was Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “glory” that attracted her to the party. She also said she believed that with her knowledge and experience, joining the BJP was the best way to continue to serve the people.