THENKASI: December 17, 2006. Kumar Pandiyan was murdered. He had been organising Hindus to thwart the attempt of Muslims to build a mosque on temple land in Thenkasi in Tirunelveli district. August 14, 2007. His three brothers were killed in the same town. All the four were victims of Islamic terrorists. Government, police and politicians try to dismiss these determined Islamist attacks on Hindus as ?fight between two families?. But Hindu Munnani has found out that the attacks on Hindus in that town took place even in 1952 and repeatedly thereafter. A few shocking attacks: (1) 1952: Muslims tried to take out Muharram procession through the temple mandap. Hindus, led by one Sankaran Pillai, vehemently opposed this. Riot broke out. Pillai had to flee Thenkasi as his life was in danger. (2) 1952: Muslims held Miladun Nabi meeting on a Hindu festival day right in front of the temple mandap. Hindus protested. False cases were clamped on Hindu elders. (3) Congress leader K. Kamaraj laid the foundation stone for an overhead tank in Thenkasi and Muslims built a mosque on the same spot. To this day, overhead tank could not be built. (4) 1986: Riots took place in Muharram procession when chappals and stones were hurled at freedom fighter Ramanatha Iyer and Ramanan MLA on South Street. Since then Muharram procession was stopped. But Hindus had to face cases for ten years. (5) Muslims are persistently trying to usurp temple land to build mosque. On 27-12-1990 permission was granted defying objection from majority of councillors in the municipal council. Kumar Pandiyan tried to mobilise Hindus against this invasion and he was murdered for that. (VSK Chennai)
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