Last day, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPM) goons attacked the Ganapati Puja held as part of the renovation at Nedumannur LP School in Kuttiady, Kozhikode. Pujas were held under the manager’s leadership on Tuesday around 6.30 pm.

During the puja, CPM branch secretary V.K. Karunan led a mob of 100 CPM workers, stormed into the school, and demanded that the puja be stopped. But when the manager did not give in, the assailants broke open the door of the hall, kicked the lamps and threatened the Hindu priests.

The CPM alleged that the RSS had performed the puja in the school under the guise of Ganapati Homam. CPM Kovukkunnu local secretary Rasheed Kayakodi said that CPM will not allow the LP School to function from now on. Rasheed, also a teacher, participated in the disruption and desecration of the Ganapati Homam. Rasheed said that they have filed a complaint with the director of public education and that action should be taken immediately.

The school’s windows, door and electricity supply meter board were damaged in the attack. CPM goons attacked the school manager, Aruna P.P., and her husband, Rajendran. Rajendran’s hand is badly injured. The protestors detained the manager and his family in the school for three hours at night. Then the police arrived and released them.

Rudhish, son of the school manager, led the puja. The Homam had to be abandoned mid-way as local green and Hindu In Name Only (HINO) communists protested. Later, the police took seven people, including the school manager, into custody, recorded the arrest and released all of them.

The Management organised the pooja after completing the school’s new building. Different pujas were performed at two different places. It is reported that a pooja was conducted in the headmaster’s office room.

The school headmistress, Sajitha, said she knew nothing about the incident. Sajitha explained that she learned about the incident when the Assistant Education Officer (AEO) called her, and nothing happened until she left school in the evening.

BJP leader MT Ramesh reacted to the incident and clarified that BJP did not organise Ganapati Homam. The Management of the school is a sympathiser of Congress. Bhumi Puja of the new building was held in a building constructed by the Management.

What is wrong with performing puja there, he asked. CPM is deliberately creating a disturbance. MT Ramesh also asked whether CPM would disturb the ceremonies of other religions. Who empowered the CPM to carry out violence without a complaint?

Hindu Aikyavedi protested against the CPM’s act of disrupting the Ganapati Homam. K Shainu, Hindu Aikyavedi state secretary, said that under the leadership of local secretary Rasheed, there had been an encroachment on religious freedom, and intense action was demanded against the culprits. CPM activists disturbed the freedom of religion envisaged by the Constitution.

CPM is leading the activists to the primitive age. CPM leaders are using gang violence in the Kuttiady area. Shainu alleged that the same leaders who led the attack on the Hindu Ikyavedi dharna in 2013 and killed V Anoop also led this violence.

CPM is trying to take over the school under private Management. Shainu said that if decisive action is not taken against the culprits, Hindu Aikyavedi will lead an intense agitation. A meeting of community organisation leaders will be called to discuss this issue.

Education Minister V Sivankutty directed the Director of Public Education to submit an urgent report on the incident and ordered an inquiry into the puja incident. No action was initiated against the ones who perpetrated the violence.

A decision was taken in the PTA meeting today that the school will open on Saturday. School manager Aruna kept away from the meeting.

Left-leaning trade union Kerala School Teachers Association (KSTA) organised a public protest meeting today, politicised the issue, and accused ‘saffronisation’ of the public education system. The Kunummal AEO has submitted a report to the Public Education Department that there was a violation of the law in the incident. Still, whether action should be taken against anyone has not been decided.

The Director of Education sought the report of the Vigneshwara Puja conducted by the manager outside the school hours in the Kuttiadi Management School. National Teachers Union (NTU) demanded inspection of government schools where Namaz is held and take action. NTU demanded that a report on the illegal Islamist prayers at noon in the government schools should also be collected immediately.

NTU state general secretary T. Anoop Kumar said that schools should not be used as places to implement political gimmicks to capture the votes of religious minorities during the Lok Sabha elections.

Puja has been regularly performed as part of Navami in the school for ages. The puja was done so that there was no difficulty for anyone after school when the children had all gone. Don’t Abrahamic management schools conduct their religious prayers in schools?

After getting the information, CPM activists camped on the school premises to make the incident controversial. Locals are deeply dissatisfied with the move of CPM and left organisations to make the puja unnecessarily contentious. Meanwhile, CPM workers continued to march to the school, raising provocative slogans.

Communist leaders like AN Shamseer have insulted Bhagwan Ganesha and Hindu beliefs in the recent past and refused to apologise for sacrilegious anti-Hindu remarks. “Ganesha and Pushpaka Vimana are not science. Those are all myths. Superstitions of the Hindutva era will hold back progress.“

Shamseer’s controversial remarks came while inaugurating the Vidyajyothi SLATE Project, which was being implemented in collaboration between a public sector undertaking under the ownership of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas and Ernakulam St. Teresa’s College in the Kunnathunad constituency near Perumbavoor in Ernakulam. 

Are Hindus witnessing the Talibanisation of Kerala, and will we be forced to pay Jizya taxes soon?