The Kerala Police have booked more than 1,000 Nair Service Society (NSS) members for holding a prayer procession on Wednesday in protest against Speaker A. N. Shamseer’s allegedly “blasphemous” remark on Hindu gods while speaking on science and religion at a school in Kannur last week.
The suspects in the unlawful assembly case registered at the Cantonment police station in Thiruvananthapuram include NSS vice-president M. Sangeeth Kumar, among others.
Mr. Kumar said the police case against the peaceful procession would not deter NSS’ resolve to defend faith. The NSS would contest the charges in court, he said.
The NSS rank and file from 175 karayogams in Thiruvananthapuram taluk had mustered on short notice to take out a solemn march from Palayam Ganapathy Temple to Pazhavangadi Ganapathy Temple on Wednesday evening. The marchers recited hymns praising Ganapathy in what seemed to be an oblique censure of Mr. Shamsheer’s allegedly “irreverent mockery” of the popular Hindu deity.
The NSS also cast the “prayer procession” as a solemn criticism of the CPI(M)‘s dismissal of the influential social organisation’s demand for an apology from the Speaker.
The Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) flayed the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government ensnaring NSS workers in police cases.
The Opposition parties recalled that the police targeted tens of thousands of NSS workers who held prayer meetings to defend the Sabarimala faith against the government’s “trespasses” on beliefs in 2018. Hundreds, including women and children, still faced the peril of prosecution.
BJP State president K. Surendran said the government hoped to win over “religious fundamentalists” by prosecuting NSS members who stood up for their beliefs. Ideally, the government should prosecute Mr. Shamseer for hurting religious sentiments.
Congress leader Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan, MLA, said the government had exacerbated the sensitive situation by booking NSS volunteers for organising a composed prayer march. He said the CPI(M) appeared intent on inciting trouble to render Kerala society restive to divert public attention from the scandals that dog the Left Democratic Front government.
Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan said the CPI(M) and RSS were on the same page regarding creating and exploiting religious fault lines for political dividends.
Meanwhile, the CPI(M) continued to defend Mr. Shamseer. Former Finance Minister T.M. Thomas Isaac said Mr. Shamseer had acted constitutionally. The Speaker merely reiterated the founding document’s charter that citizens were duty-bound to develop a scientific temper, humanism and spirit of enquiry and reform.
Mr. Shamseer made no direct reference to the controversy while speaking at a school in Malappuram.
Nevertheless, he flagged RSS’ alleged attempt to saffronise school and college curricula by promoting an alternative version of history and questionable scientific theories.
