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A case has been registered against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader K Annamalai, Hindu Munnani state president Kadeswara Subramaniam, and several others for allegedly making political and communal remarks during the Murugan Devotees Conference held in Madurai on June 22, according to the officials.
The event, organised by the Hindu Munnani, was conducted under strict conditions imposed by the city police and the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court. Authorities had laid down 52 guidelines, including a clear directive to avoid political or religious speeches that could disturb public peace. The court had also instructed that political statements must be strictly avoided during the conference. Despite the orders, political statements were allegedly made during the program, leading to controversy and public outrage. Following this, Vanchinathan, an advocate and executive of the Madurai Interfaith People's Federation, submitted a formal complaint to Police Commissioner Lokanathan, seeking legal action against those who violated the court's orders. An inquiry was conducted at the Anna Nagar Police Station, after which a First Information Report (FIR) was filed. The case named Annamalai, Kadeswara Subramaniam, Hindu Munnani functionary Selvakumar, and others as the accused. According to police, the FIR was registered under four sections of the Indian Penal Code, including charges of promoting enmity between different religious groups, making statements intended to outrage religious feelings, inciting communal disharmony and disturbing public peace. The complaint alleged that the speeches made during the conference violated the law and disrespected the court's directives, potentially disrupting communal harmony in the region. Officials said that the matter is currently under investigation, and further action will be taken. Meanwhile on June 14, Tamil Nadu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) State Media Spokesperson ANS Prasad issued a scathing statement accusing Chief Minister MK Stalin and the ruling DMK government of politicising religion and placing covert obstacles in the way of the upcoming World Murugan Devotees' Conference, scheduled to be held in Madurai on June 22. In a sharp attack on the state government, Prasad said, "Chief Minister Stalin may take pride in declaring himself a non-devotee of Murugan to please the followers of E.V. Ramasamy (Periyar). But at the same time, the DMK government must stop covertly imposing obstacles on the upcoming Murugan Devotees' Conference in Madurai, which could give the public the impression that Stalin is an 'enemy of Tamil deity Murugan'." (ANI)
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