BJP Leader In TN Attacked For Questioning Construction Of Madrasa in Hindu-Majority Area

Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) general secretary M Ashwin Kumar (30) and his father Malaimegam (55) were attacked by a gang of six Muslim men in Tamil Nadu’s Ramanathapuram town on Thursday, just days after they received threats on Facebook.

According to The Hindu, Ashwani and his father were attacked for questioning the construction of a madrasa in a Hindu majority area of the town and expressing their disapproval for the same through a post on Facebook. Both suffered cut injuries on their hands and were admitted to the local government hospital.

According to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national secretary H Raja, also former member of legislative assembly from Karaikudi, the attackers went to a nearby mosque to offer prayers soon after the incident.

Tamil Nadu has seen attacks on a number of Hindu leaders, mostly belonging to the BJP and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), in the last few years, though these incidents have failed to make it to national headlines.

In July 2013, a senior BJP leader V Ramesh was hacked to death by a group of assailants, inside his house in Salem. The same year, three party leaders—Arun Reddy, P Murugan and Velliyan—were also murdered.

In 2016, property belonging to various BJP leaders and functionaries were torched. A Vishwa Hindu Parishad worker named Suri was killed in Hosur. Multiple BJP leaders were injured in attacks throughout the state and petrol bombs were hurled at some.

In most cases, Islamist groups were held responsible for the crime. According to a report in the Indian Express, investigations by the Tamil Nadu and Karnataka police revealed that these attacks were planned and undertaken by banned Islamic terrorist outfits such as Al Ummah.