The Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) has sought a report after the image of KB Hedgewar, founder of Rashtriya SwayamSevak (RSS), was displayed during a temple festival in Kollam district of Kerala on Tuesday, April 15. Hedgewar’s picture was shown alongside the images of social reformers like Swami Vivekananda, Sree Narayana Guru and Dr BR Ambedkar during the annual festival held at Ashramam Shri Krishnaswamy temple.
The TDB, under whose jurisdiction the temple falls, said the incident happened during the ‘kudamattam’ (pageantry with decorative parasols) staged by the Puthiyakavu Devi Temple as part of the ‘Pooram’ fest and that they have sought a report from the Assistant Devaswom Commissioner in Kollam.
Officials of the Ashramam Shri Krishnaswamy Temple, which hosts the Kollam Pooram, said there are limitations in controlling such incidents as preparations for ‘kudamattam’ are done secretly by participant temples because of competition.
“The CPI(M) and BJP are disobeying court orders by displaying their political propaganda during temple festivals in Kollam district,” alleged Vishnu Sunil, state vice president of the Youth Congress in Kerala. The Youth Congress has filed a police complaint in this regard. The case was registered by the police under Section 6 of Religious Institutions (Prevention of Misuse) Act (Prohibition of religion for propagating political ideas). The Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), linked to the Communist Party of India (Marxist), has also registered a protest against the incident.
Recently, a case was registered after a song associated with the RSS was sung during a ‘gana mela’ (musical concert) in Manjippuzha Sree Bhagavathi Bhadrakali temple, managed by Travancore Devaswom Board, also in Kollam.
Singer Aloshi Adam was also booked by the Kadakkal police in the first week of April for singing a ‘revolutionary song’ that allegedly glorifies the CPI(M). The incident also happened in Kollam district.
Recently, the decision of the Palakkad Municipality, governed by the BJP to name a skill centre for children with intellectual disabilities after Hedgewar had resulted in a row.