Tension escalated at Thirupurankundram hill in Madurai as Hindu activists clashed with police over the lighting of the Karthigai Deepam. The activists staged a protest over the lighting of the Karthigai Deepam at the usual place rather than at the ancient Deepathoon pillar near the dargah at Thirupurakundram hill.
Police stopped the protesters from reaching the hilltop.
The Madurai Bench of the High Court had earlier directed that the lamp be lit at the site sought by the petitioner. However, the temple administration reportedly failed to light the Deepam at the hilltop despite the court order, leading to the scuffle in which two policemen were injured. Section 144 was imposed as protesters refused to leave.
The Madurai Bench allowed an appeal moved by the Tamil Nadu government. Justice Jayachandran listed it as the first case for the hearing, noting that the Deepam would not be lit by the petitioner in the new place, as the lamp was already in place at the temple top according to long-standing tradition.
Attacking the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) government and the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department, Tamil Nadu BJP leader K Annamalai said that it is a fact that the DMK Govt’s hostility toward Sanatan Dharma is no longer a matter of interpretation.
“The DMK Govt’s hostility toward Sanatan Dharma is no longer a matter of interpretation; it is a fact. … By deploying hundreds of police personnel and physically preventing devotees from performing the religious ritual, the DMK regime has exposed the full extent of its appeasement politics. DMK must answer why Sanatan Dharma is singled out, time and again. Do court orders mean nothing to this govt?"
BJP Spokesperson Shehzad Poonawala said, “HC CLEARS BUT COPS BLOCK. Hindus blocked by TN police from reaching Hill top to light Karthigai Deepam in Madurai. Violent clashes erupt. Devotees won right to light lamp peacefully through a lengthy legal process but given lathis."
BJP leader Narayanan Thirupathy called for the strictest possible action against the DMK and Hindu Religious & Charitable Endowments Department for not following the High Court order.
“The Dravidian Model DMK @arivalayam government and the Hindu Religious & Charitable Endowments Department, which are refusing to honour the High Court order that the Karthigai Deepam must be lit at the ancient Deepathoon pillar in Thiruparankundram, must face the strictest possible action by the Honourable High Court. Moreover, the police unleashing brutal attacks on Hindus is vehemently condemned. … This deserves the most severe and unequivocal condemnation," he wrote on X.
Karthigai Deepam or Karthika Deepam is celebrated in Tamil Nadu during the full moon of Karthigai month when Shiva’s Agni form is worshipped. The Maha Deepam lighting at Arunachaleswarar Temple attracts millions of devotees worldwide.
