BJP National Co-in-Charge for Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, Ponguleti Sudhakar Reddy, has come out strongly against the Tamil Nadu government over the chaos surrounding the traditional Karthigai Deepam lighting on Thiruparankundram Hill.
He has demanded a judicial inquiry headed by a sitting High Court judge into the entire sequence of events, including the alleged lathi-charge on devotees.
Mr Reddy accused the DMK government of adopting selective and disproportionate restrictions against a centuries-old Hindu ritual held peacefully by devotees for generations. Mr Reddy said the police action on innocent devotees is unacceptable.
The people of Tamil Nadu deserve a transparent explanation. A judicial probe is essential to restore faith in the administration, he added.
The controversy escalated after the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department appealed a judicial order that had initially allowed the ritual lighting atop the sacred hill.
