George Kurian, vice-chairman of the National Commission for Minorities (NCM), has written a letter to Home Minister Rajnath Singh, where he has obliquely blamed the judiciary for the current turmoil in Kerala in the wake of the Sabarimala controversy.
George Kurian, vice-chairman of the National Commission for Minorities (NCM), has written a letter to Home Minister Rajnath Singh, where he has obliquely blamed the judiciary for the current turmoil in Kerala in the wake of the Sabarimala controversy.
Kurian, in his letter dated January 15, said the Sabarimala issue has "no minority connection", but the ongoing turmoil in the state has an impact on the state's minority community. DNA is in possession of an exclusive copy of the letter.
"The three pillars of democracy should take into account the situation prevailing in the state and exercise extreme caution while taking decisions, as even a minor issue can have knock-on consequences on minority communities. The current turmoil in Kerala is the result of a decision by one of the pillars," Kurian wrote.
Stating that Kerala is sitting on a "communal tinderbox", he said that of late the state has turned into a fertile recruitment ground for global terror organisations like Islamic State and Al-Qaeda.
Kurian also said the Centre should keep a "close watch" on the communal situation in the state and take "timely action" in the greater interests of the nation.
There have been "clear attempts" to create communal chaos in the state in a bid to polarise the state, Kurian said. He was echoing fears expressed by noted Malayalam film director Ali Akbar, who in a memorandum to Kurian, had stated that there has been a "deliberate attempt" to trigger communal violence by the CPM cadre by attacking minority communities' places of worship, and by killing rival politicians belonging to Muslim community and passing it off as the handwork of the RSS-BJP cadre.
"The latest incident pertains to the pelting of stones at Perambra Town Juma Masjid in Kozhikode by some miscreants on January 3, when a hartal organised by Sabarimala Karma Samithi, an umbrella body of Hindu organisations, in protest against the CPI(M)-led LDF government's policy on Sabarimala was underway. The police arrested the accused Atul Das, a CPI(M) branch secretary, after analysing CCTV footage. The police also arrested about 20 DYFI (youth wing of CPM) workers in connection with the attack," Akbar had stated in his memorandum to Kurian. Quoting Akbar's contentions, Kurian requested the Centre to take appropriate actions.
In September last year, the Supreme Court had paved the way for the entry of women of all ages into the Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala in Kerala. In the past, women devotees of menstruating age were not permitted to enter the temple. Ever since the Supreme Court order was imposed, Kerala has seen protests erupt amid reports of some women trying to enter the Lord Ayyappa shrine.
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