TN temple town turns fortress over Hindu Munnani protest

The scenic Thiruparankundram hill town, the abode of Lord Subramanya/Murugan/Kartikeya, turned into a police citadel on Tuesday with over 4,000 police and officers from 10 districts taking control following the prohibitory orders clamped by the Madurai district administration.

About eight activists from the Hindu Munnani, which had announced an agitation on Tuesday to protest against a section of people consuming non-vegetarian food on the mountain, have been detained by the police.

Though the temple on the hill top is dedicated to Lord Subrahmanya (Murugan), there's a Sikandar Badusha Dargah on the hill. Things had been normal in the town until a group of people allegedly consumed non-vegetarian food on the hillock much to the ire of the Hindu devotees, recently.

The police said eight Hindu Munnani members have been detained as a precautionary measure.

Meanwhile, a Hindu Munnani leader said the district administration's decision to enforce prohibitory orders had been challenged in the Madurai bench of the Madras high court.

Condemning the arrest and also the administration's decision, BJP senior leader H Raja said when the national agencies were involved in arresting terrorists hiding in Tamil Nadu, the state police resorted to arresting members of Hindu organisations that wanted to stage a peaceful protect on the Thiruparankundram hill. "This situation will change one day," he said.

Terming the ban order as "suppression of democratic rights and feelings of devotees," Hindu Munnani state president Kadeshwara Subramaniam said his organisation would not hesitate to launch a freedom struggle for Hindus from Madurai soil.

"If the ruling DMK thinks that it can suppress the voice of democracy and also the feelings of devotees by force, then the Hindu Munnani will once again wage a freedom struggle for Hindus on the soil of Madurai, defying the ban with the support of Lord Murugan devotees," he said.

He accused the police of foisting cases against many people purportedly for violating the ban.