News Tamil Nadu

IMK Dy Secy Arrested – Party Alleges Retaliation For Involvement In Dismantling Illegal Christian Cemetery Near Ancient Uchistha Ganapathy Temple

June 13, 2024
The Commune

Palayamkottai police have arrested Indu Makkal Katchi’s Deputy Secretary, Udaiyar, following allegations that he suggested the Bharatiya Janata Party could only establish itself in Tamil Nadu through orchestrated riots. This action was prompted by the leakage of an audio recording purportedly featuring Udaiyar in conversation with a BJP member.

In the alleged recording, Udaiyar expressed frustration over the BJP’s electoral losses in Tamil Nadu and suggested that riots are necessary for the party’s growth in the state. Identified as a functionary of Indu Makkal Katchi and former Tirunelveli district secretary of Hindu Munnani during the conversation, Udaiyar criticized the handling of funds during the election campaign and questions the efficacy of senior BJP leader Kesava Vinayagam.

Sub-Inspector of Police Duraipandi filed a complaint against Udaiyar, accusing him of attempting to sow discord among different groups, potentially inciting violence and disrupting public peace. Consequently, the police have charged Udaiyar under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and apprehended him on 11 June 2024 and sent to judicial remand till 25 June.

However, the chief of Indu Makkal Katchi suggested that his arrest now is a retaliatory measure for his previous actions. He claimed that his efforts to dismantle an illegal Christian cemetery constructed unlawfully in front of a 2000-year-old ancient temple entrance previously have provoked authorities to take action against him as payback.

Indu Makkal Katchi in its official handle stated, “Woodiyar got this illegal Xian Cemetery removed. Today’s arrest seems like an act of revenge, and payback. DMK media caught a loose talk happened in the spur of the moment, to arrest his again.”

Udaiyar’s Involvement In Removal Of An Unauthorized Christian Cemetery Near Ancient Uchistha Ganapathy Temple

In 2020, the Indu Makkal Katchi issued a press release questioning the actions of Tirunelveli District Collector, Shilpa Prabhakar Satish IAS. She had been visited by Christian pastors accompanied by members of various Tamil Nadu political parties, excluding the BJP. They came to file a complaint against Indu Makkal Katchi (IMK) members for demolishing a Christian cemetery situated in front of the Uchistha Ganapathy temple at Manimoortheeswaram.

The cemetery, erected by the local Church directly in front of the Manimoortheeswaram Uchistha Ganapathy temple, was torn down on the night of 17 October by Indu Makkal Katchi members. This action followed repeated appeals by locals and Hindu organizations to the Tamil Nadu Hindu Religious & Charitable Endowments board and the district administration, which had yielded no results.

Subsequently, nine IMK members surrendered at the police station. IMK sources claimed that Christian pastors and political parties had approached the District Collector, urging the charging of IMK members under the National Security Act.

In November 2019, the Legal Rights Observatory, a non-profit legal activism organization focused on safeguarding Indian interests, filed a complaint with the Tirunelveli District Collector, seeking the removal of the encroachment of the Christian cemetery. In response, the district administration stated that the cemetery was on private land. Section 145 had been imposed on the land, and burial rites had been halted due to objections from devotees and locals.

However, the latest IMK press release highlights that the temple land had been unlawfully encroached upon by a local Church organization, with one faction continuously burying the deceased in the cemetery.

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