The Travancore Devaswom Board, which oversees operations of hundreds of temples in south India including the Sabarimala Ayyappan Temple, has banned any organisations that spread ‘radical ideas’, including the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), from operating within its temples. It also prohibited activities such as weapons training, as well as any protests against the Board. Flex boards and other material displaying symbols associated with political and communal organisations, as well as images of persons not associated with the temple, should be removed immediately, it said. Any violation of these new rules will cause legal action, the Board has announced.
While RSS activity had already been banned by the Board previously, recent violations have led to the Board reiterating the decision. Additionally, the hosting of monochromatic flags in colours associated with any political or communal organisation in the temple or public places nearby will not be allowed. To distribute printed notices or pamphlets, one must obtain permission from the assistant Devaswom officer and submit a copy of the material before distributing it.
The Kerala High Court recently banned mass drills or weapons training on the premises of Sarkara Devi temple on September 11. The temple is situated in Chirayinkeezhu of Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram district and comes under the Travancore Devaswom Board. The order was issued on a petition filed by two devotees seeking to prevent weapons training and drills conducted by RSS. A division bench headed by Justice Anil K Narendran, ordered the Devaswom commissioner to implement the ban on mass drills and weapons training, and the Chirayinkeezhu Station Officer to give necessary assistance to implement the order.
In 2016, the Travancore Devaswom Board issued a circular banning all types of armed training by RSS in temple premises. Later in 2021, they reissued the circular urging officials to act on it.