A ‘pookalam’ or floral carpet laid out at a temple in Kerala's Kollam district to "honour Operation Sindoor" on the occasion of Onam has sparked a controversy in the state after 27 Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) activists were booked.
While temple authorities claimed that the act of laying down of the carpet allegedly violated a high court order, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said it was made to honour the armed forces for the May operation in Jammu and Kashmir.
The incident occurred at the Parthasarathy temple in Muthupilakk in Kollam district. The temple committee member Mohanan was quoted by Hindustan Times as saying that the carpet had an inscription of the RSS flag and that of Operation Sindoor. The member argued that there had previously been frequent clashes over flag installations near the temple during festivals.
“To avoid such confrontations, we approached the High Court, which in 2023 banned any decorative items, including flags, near the temple compound. Despite this, RSS activists laid a floral carpet with their flag and inscribed ‘Operation Sindoor’ with flowers right next to the temple committee’s floral design. Since this violated the High Court order and could spark clashes, we filed a complaint. We have full respect for Operation Sindoor, but this is not as the accused are portraying it,” Asokan C, an office-bearer of the temple committee, told news agency PTI.
Following this, a case was registered on based of a complaint by the office bearer, who alleged that the carpet was laid in violation of an order from the Kerala High Court.
BJP lashes out at Kerala Police
As Kerala Police registered a case, the BJP, in a statement, lashed out at the police, calling the case against the 27 RSS activists “shocking.”
According to Hindustan Times, BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar asked whether Kerala was being ruled by Jamaat-e-Islami or under Pakistan’s governance. He warned that the party would approach the court if the FIR was not withdrawn immediately.
"This is Kerala. It is a proud part of India. Yet, an FIR has been lodged for making a Pookkalam with the words "Operation Sindoor" in it. Absolutely Unacceptable!" Chandrashekhar wrote in a post on on X (formerly Twitter).
The BJP state president was quoted by HT as saying that the operation symbolised the strength and valour of the armed forces, and targeting it through legal action "insults" every soldier who defends the nation.
In a post on X, BJP IT Cell head Amit Malviya claimed that the action was taken for “appeasement of one section”.
“In Kerala’s Kollam district, police forced the removal of an Onam Pookalam simply because it carried the words “Operation Sindoor.” This isn’t Pakistan. This is Kerala under Left rule, where even flowers with patriotic messages are treated as a threat. All for appeasement of one section. And yet, the same Left never misses a chance to lecture the nation on free speech. Hypocrisy at its peak!” Malviya wrote on X.
The Kerala Police have invoked sections 223 (disobeying orders lawfully promulgated by public servants), 192 (wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot), and 3(5) (criminal act committed by several people) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
According to the FIR, a flex board of Chhatrapati Shivaji was also installed 50 metres from the temple, HT reported. The act was allegedly intended to provoke a riot between rival political groups.
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