Kerala: The Kerala High Court has ruled that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) will not be allowed to conduct weapons training and mass training in the premises of the Sarkara Devi temple in Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram district. The temple is managed by the Travancore Devaswam Board (TDB). This order was delivered by the court disposing of a petition filed by two devotees seeking an order to stop the RSS and its members from “illegal use and unauthorized encroachment” of the temple premises. The petition had been filed in June 2023.
The court also directed the police to provide necessary assistance following its earlier order. The board had banned the RSS from setting up branches and conducting training in its religious places. The petitioner said that the RSS members were doing illegal activities in the temple without the permission of the concerned authorities.
In a recent order, a bench comprising Justice Anil K Narendran and Justice PG Ajith Kumar said that no mass practice or weapons practice would be allowed on the premises of the temple managed by the Travancore Devaswam Board.
“No mass drill or weaponry practices (sic) shall be permitted on the premises of the said temple, which is under the management of the Travancore Devaswom Board. The Station House Officer of Chirayinkeezhu Police Station shall render necessary assistance to the Administrative Officer to ensure strict compliance of the prohibition…,” Justices Anil K Narendran and PG Ajithkumar said in a recent order.
The Kerala Temple Management Board then issued a new circular on May 18 asking its officials to strictly follow the earlier order. In the earlier order, it had prohibited any branch or group of RSS from practicing in religious areas under the Board.
The TDB issued a circular in 2016 banning all types of weapons training in temple complexes by the RSS. Later, on March 30, 2021, the board re-issued a circular asking the authorities to take action.
A writ petition filed in the Kerala High Court earlier, had alleged men claiming to be RSS members have been illegally encroaching on premises of Sarkara Devi temple in Kerala’s Chirayinkeezhu, leading to ‘loss of calm atmosphere’. Several devotees of Kerala’s Sarkara Devi temple have gone to the Kerala High Court with a simple demand — evict the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) from the temple’s premises.
To ensure this, devotees have approached the high court: a writ petition filed in the high court alleges that some men who claim to be members of the RSS have been illegally encroaching on temple premises, conducting mass drills and training members on how to fight with weapons on temple grounds every evening between 5 pm and 12 am.
The petition actually goes on to say that their activities disturb the peace of the temple and scare off devotees and visitors. It also said that the “unpleasant smell” and repeated use of “tobacco products like ‘Hans’ and ‘pan masala’ within the temple premises” affects the “cleanliness, purity, and divinity” of the place of worship.
According to the petition filed, RSS men — saying they are RSS members — have been causing “mental stress, agony and loss of calm atmosphere required to be maintained during meditation and offering prayers” at the temple.
“We haven’t received any official notice on this, and so we haven’t filed an affidavit either,” said RSS state secretary P.N. Easwar. Adding, “We’ve looked into the matter, but can’t comment further at this stage.”
“We have no problem with them using the temple grounds,” said 68-year-old G. Vyasan, one of the two petitioners, referring to the alleged RSS members.
“But the way they use it is disrespectful.”
Vyasan visits the temple every day and recounted that he first used to see the drills daily. Those conducting the mass drills use sticks and have, what he describes as, ‘mock fights’ on some days. But besides that, he said, they loiter on the temple premises and generally cause a disturbance after drinking alcohol and consuming tobacco. These “drills” conducted on land right behind the temple, which has been cordoned off with chains and a makeshift barrier of rocks, have stopped since the writ petition was filed on June 20.
A former secretary of the temple, Ajay Kumar, told ThePrint that the men conducting the drills had built the barrier themselves. They wouldn’t allow any other devotees or visitors to use the space and would gather around 5 pm and spend the rest of the evening there, drinking into the night, he alleged.
The correspondent for ThePrint saw empty bottles of liquor, torn packets of tobacco, and what looked like firecracker shells on the temple premises.
“Those men come and shout ‘Jai Shri Ram’ all the time. I don’t understand why, this is a Devi temple!” said one devotee, underlining that the Sarkara Devi temple’s deity is Bhadrakali.
The TDB had in 2016 issued a circular banning all types of arms training in the temple complexes by the RSS. Later, on March 30, 2021, the board reissued the circular asking officials to take action.
In 2016, the then Devaswom Minister, Kadakampally Surendran, had claimed, as reported by NDTV, that the RSS was trying to turn temples into storehouses of arms in Kerala and that the government had been receiving a large number of complaints in this regard.
Related: