Kerala: 3 VHP activists arrested for disrupting Christmas celebrations at Palakkad school; protest erupts
By Aishwarya Nair | First Published Dec 23, 2024, 9:20 AM ISTThree individuals, identified as activists of Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), were arrested in Palakkad for disrupting Christmas celebrations at a government school. The accused reportedly harassed teachers and students, questioning their attire and verbally abusing the teachers in front of the students.
Palakkad: Protests have intensified against the threats reportedly made by Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) workers to a government school in Palakkad's Nalleppilly for organizing Christmas celebrations. The arrest of the VHP district secretary and others involved in the incident has sparked strong protests from youth organizations, including DYFI and Youth Congress. Both groups have announced that they will hold a powerful protest today, including organizing a Christmas carol in front of the school.
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Three individuals, belonging to the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), were arrested on Sunday (Dec 23) for allegedly threatening teachers over Christmas celebrations at a government school, according to police. The accused – K Anilkumar, V Susasanan, and K Velayudhan – were taken into custody by Chittoor police in relation to the incident that took place on Friday at the Nallepilly Government Upper Primary School in Palakkad.
The Youth Congress Chittur Assembly Committee has decided to hold a Unity Carol in response. The event will take place at 10 AM on Monday, as confirmed by the committee's leaders. The DYFI's carol will also take place at Nalleppilly in the morning. The DYFI Palakkad District Committee has stated that the VHP’s intervention to stop the Christmas celebrations at the school has tarnished Kerala’s secular spirit. They view this as part of the Sangh Parivar’s attempt to bring polarizing politics from North India into Kerala.
The secular community of Kerala is prepared to strongly resist these efforts. They further emphasized that Kerala, a secular state, will not yield to the divisive politics of the Sangh Parivar, and regardless of the efforts of any organization, it will not succeed in breaking the unity of the state.
As per a complaint lodged by the school authorities, the three individuals are accused of interrupting the school's Christmas celebrations. They allegedly questioned the teachers and students about their attire for the Christmas carol and verbally abused the teachers in front of the students.
Initially, they asked teachers and students to stop singing, then approached the teacher, questioning the Santa hats and attire. They used offensive language in front of the students and demanded that the event be stopped before leaving. The sudden incident left students, teachers, and parents shocked. Following a complaint from the headmistress, Jayanti, the Chittur police arrested the three individuals. The case accuses the activists of trespassing into the school with the intent to stir religious conflict, instilling fear in the students and threatening the teachers. The FIR also states that the activists questioned why the school was celebrating Christmas and used offensive language. The accused were remanded after being presented in court.
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