Salem-based activist V. Piyush filed a private complaint at the Judicial Magistrate Court No. 4 on Tuesday, November 28, 2023, demanding action against BJP State president K. Annamalai for reportedly issuing threats and making provocative statements.
In his complaint, the activist said he came across a speech of Mr. Annamalai’s that was broadcast on several channels and on social media platforms. The complaint said the leader cited an incident of 1956, where he claimed that Forward Bloc leader U. Muthuramalinga Thevar had, in a warning to former Chief Minister C.N. Annadurai and Justice Party leader P.T. Rajan said, “If they, who had declared themselves as non believers, were to speak about Hindu faith, then, instead of offering milk to the deity of Madurai Meenakshi Amman, human blood will be offered for Abhishekam.”
The complainant said there was no record of this statement being made by Muthuramalinga Thevar. “If Mr. Annamalai is not able to prove this statement as attributable to Muthuramalinga Thevar, we can only conclude that he said this in order to provoke the Hindu majoritarian community to violence and offer the blood of non believers to their respective deities by wantonly concocting this story,” Mr. Piyush said.
Also, in the event of Mr. Annamalai’s proving that the provocative statement was made by Muthuramalinga Thevar, it would still amount to a crime as he was provoking believers to kill non believers and was attempting to stop critiques of all kinds in a free and democratic society, Mr. Piyush said.
The complainant said the video, widely shared across platforms, could have serious consequences on the law and order/public tranquillity of the country. Mr. Piyush said any person, be it of any stature, or holding any position had no right to utter unlawful, threatening and provocative statements as per the law and the crime became if this statement was found to be a fabrication.
The activist urged the court to direct the police to register an FIR under the appropriate sections and render justice. The complaint is to be taken up for hearing on December 2.
