A youth attacked and desecrated the Sree Thirumandhamkunnu Bhagavathy temple at Angadipuram in Malappuram. The incident took place around 8 am during the puja at the temple. Communists, atheists, and Abrahamics from the Malabar Devaswom Board manage the temple, and it is one of the most famous Bhadrakali temples in Kerala, especially Malabar.
The assailant broke into the temple shrine and smashed the lamp and the pedestal before flinging them away. The assailant entered the Sreekovil (Garbhagriha) and desecrated the murti and ornaments that are hundreds of years old.
He also tried to attack the priests who were performing puja. Ultimately, a group of devotees caught him from inside the Sreekovil. According to the police, he was suffering from mental disorders and was addicted to drugs. The police say that he indulged in violence before.
The young man who had come to visit the temple had entered Bhagwan Shiva’s Mandapam. The security guard told him he should not sit there and removed him. Suspiciously, the security personnel left, and the young man ran back and entered the shrine.
Once inside the Sreekovil, the stout young assailant pulled the ornaments, Trishulam and sword from the Bhagawathy murti inside the sanctum before adoring himself with the ornaments. He then drenched himself in oil used in the lamps. He threatened the pujaris and stood facing east inside the sanctum sanctorum.
At first, no one was able to move the young man out of the shrine due to his violent nature. They tried to force him out of the Sreekovil but could not.
Then, a few youths arrived and, with the consent of the Tantri, entered the shrine and forced the assailant out. He was then restrained with a rope. Furious devotees assembled and were about to thrash him when, again, the temple security interfered and restrained the angry crowd.
Local police arrived and shifted the accused to the Perintalmanna police station. Hindu devotees alleged that there was a significant security lapse in the temple. The police said that they will conduct a detailed investigation into the incident. The entire episode lasted more than an hour.
The temple had to be closed for purification.
Islamists swung into action and claimed that the accused was Rajesh from Angadipuram. This ‘mentally deranged’ young man jumped in front of a bus in Perinthalmanna in November 2022 and created panic.
If it were an innocent act of a drunken/ drug addict, he should not be singling out a temple. The accused had a clear target and allegedly arrived there with a purpose. Was it a conspiracy?
Problems in the recent past have plagued Thirumandhamkunnu Bhagavathy temple. In March 2023, HinduPost reported how the temple committee in Malappuram is infested with commies and pro-Islamists.
They painted the temple with the colour of the Pakistani flag – green and white – ahead of the Pooram festival. Even more alarming is the sizable presence of Muslims in the festival committee as patrons and members. Perintalmanna has a Muslim population of around 70 per cent.
The first name on the panel is that of an Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) leader and Member of Parliament from Malappuram, Abdul Samad Samadani, who was allegedly instrumental in the fraudulent conversion of eminent Malayalam writer Kamala Das.
Kamala Das was trapped in grooming jihad on the promise of marriage, and after sexual assault/conversion/, she was dumped. Samadani allegedly received 10 lakh Dollars from a Saudi Arabia-based organization as a reward.
Out of the 14 patrons of the temple, five are Muslims. The chairman of the committee is Manjalamkuzhi Ali, MLA. One of the vice-chairmen of the panel is Jose Varghese, a Christian.
It was reported that the CPM members of the temple committee suggested using green. At a glance, the temple building looked similar to a mosque. Green is a colour not found in typical Hindu temples. Therefore, it was alleged that it was aimed at hurting Hindu sentiments.
Back then, Hindu Aikyavedi state president Sasikala K.P. submitted a petition to the Devaswom authorities demanding that the green paint be changed: “We hope that the paint will be changed. Otherwise, we will change the paint publicly. I don’t know painting. But I will be in front.” Later, the green colour was removed, and the temple building was repainted using sandalwood.
