Kerala: Five RSS–BJP workers booked for rioting against Tushar Gandhi

A case was registered against five people, reportedly RSS–BJP workers, on Thursday, 13 March, for raising slogans against Tushar Gandhi, the great-grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, demanding that he retract a remark he made a day ago about the saffron outfit.

The case was registered under Sections 189(2), 191(2), 190, and 126(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) on charges of unlawful assembly, rioting and wrongful restraint, police said.

"An investigation is underway, and no arrests have been made so far," an official said.

According to police, a small group of people, allegedly linked to the Sangh Parivar, raised slogans against Gandhi at the end of a function he attended at nearby Neyyattinkara on Wednesday evening, 12 March.

Visuals aired by TV channels showed a group of men raising slogans against Gandhi, urging him to withdraw his statement.

Earlier, chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan had strongly condemned the "Sangh Parivar attack" on Gandhi, stating that actions that suppress freedom of expression cannot be allowed in a democratic society.

Gandhi was visiting Neyyatinkara to unveil the statue of the late Gandhian P. Gopinathan Nair.

In his speech, Gandhi had said that both the UDF and LDF, which have had a long history of fighting each other in the state, need to realise that another very dangerous and insidious enemy has entered Kerala—the RSS and BJP.

"The BJP we would be able to defeat, but the RSS is poison. And we have to be very cautious about it because if it spreads in the circulation system of our country, then all is lost," he said.

Following his speech, tension gripped the area as BJP–RSS workers shouted slogans and blocked Gandhi's car on his way out.

The protesters said the municipal ward was represented by the BJP and that Gandhi should withdraw his remarks against RSS.

However, Tushar Gandhi left after raising a ‘Gandhiji ki jai [victory to Gandhi-ji]’ slogan, affirming that his stance remained unchanged.

For his part, Gandhi said he would not initiate any legal action against the RSS–BJP workers who had been booked — choosing, apparently, his ancestors path of ahimsa.

"There was no physical assault. They stopped only my vehicle, and I will not take any action," he told a TV channel on Thursday.

The Congress has rallied behind Gandhi, extending their support.

Speaking to reporters in Kochi, Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan alleged that the protest against Tushar Gandhi was an insult to Mahatma Gandhi and condemned it as a "deplorable act" of fascism.

"This cannot be tolerated, and the police and government should take stringent action," he said.

Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) chief K. Sudhakaran, MP, also condemned the incident.

"The communal forces that bury Gandhi while glorifying Godse have no place in Kerala's secular land," he said.

While the police took cognisance on their own of the actions of the men allegedly linked to the Sangh Parivar, it was a while before the case was registered this evening (an earlier statement from the police had mentioned no case was registered in the morning).

Visuals aired by TV channels showed a group of men raising slogans against Gandhi, urging him to withdraw his statement.

In his speech, Gandhi had further said that the two political fronts in Kerala must be reminded that they have a responsibility to protect India and their other political interests were less important at this point of time.

He alleged the RSS is more dangerous than the British, claiming that while the latter sought to rule, the present danger is a threat to the very existence of the nation as we know it.

"They (RSS) are trying to destroy the soul of the country. We should be fearful of that. Because if it (soul) is lost, everything is lost," Gandhi added.

He urged both the UDF and the LDF to remain resolute in their decision to fight against these divisive forces.

Responding to the events, chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan further warned BJP–RSS workers against attempts to block visits to Kerala by national and international figures.

"This is highly condemnable. Actions that suppress freedom of expression cannot be allowed in a democratic society. Legal and democratic measures will be taken against such tendencies," the chief minister had promised in a statement today.

Vijayan also emphasised the need to strengthen public opinion across society to isolate and reject such actions.

The chief minister echoed Gandhi's words in Neyyattinkara, "that the soul of the nation was being afflicted by the cancer of communalism".

"Our culture respects even opposing viewpoints. The Sangh Parivar is tarnishing that very culture," Vijayan said, seemingly in agreement with the danger Gandhi highlighted.

Vijayan seemed admiring of Gandhi's own (lack of) reaction in the face of vociferous — bordering on violent — disagreement, observing, "Without succumbing to provocation, Tushar Gandhi simply raised a call of 'Jai Gandhi' and left."

Vijayan further stated that a strong protest from secular and democratic society must arise against this incident.

"This is not a moment for any individual, community or political movement that values democracy to remain silent. Only through such awareness and the resulting strong public protest can we safeguard our freedom of expression and other democratic rights," he said.

With PTI inputs