A senior police officer in Kerala has sparked outrage after allegedly insulting the President of India, Droupadi Murmu, through a social media post related to her recent visit to the Sabarimala Temple. The officer, identified as Deputy Superintendent of Police (DySP) R. Manojkumar, serving in Alathoor, Palakkad district, reportedly shared a WhatsApp image deemed disrespectful to the President.
Despite the expectation that government employees strictly adhere to the code of conduct, DySP Manojkumar appears to have disregarded it. His WhatsApp status carried an image and caption implying that the President’s Sabarimala visit violated tradition (“Aachaara Lamkhanam”) and challenged a supposed High Court verdict. He even questioned, sarcastically, whether there would be any “Namajapa Yathra” (a protest march reciting bhajans) in response. However, he did not specify which High Court verdict he was referring to.
Then Manoj offered an interesting excuse: he claimed that he had been reading a WhatsApp message received from someone while travelling by train, and that it was accidentally uploaded as his status due to a slip of the finger. This explanation, however, is highly unlikely to convince anyone.
Political and religious influences are not expected to taint the neutrality of the police force anywhere in the world. Yet, such incidents are increasingly reported from Kerala. The latest controversy has drawn attention not only for its nature but also because it involves an officer of DySP rank making a derogatory reference to the Rashtrapati’s temple visit, an act that many view as unbecoming of a public servant.
Authorities are believed to have sought an explanation from the officer, and further disciplinary action is likely to follow pending inquiry.
Insulting the President of the country by a government employee is a serious violation of rules and protocol. It is unjustifiable under any circumstance. The Palakkad BJP staged angry protests in front of the offices of the DSP and DySP. Consequently, the District Police Chief has sought an explanation from the DySP. Manojkumar is likely to face disciplinary action if his explanation is found unsatisfactory.
Observers point out that such undesirable incidents have occurred several times in the past. In February 2022, Anas P.K. was dismissed from police service for leaking information about the RSS and BJP to leaders of the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), the political wing of the outlawed Popular Front of India (PFI).
A senior IPS officer had also behaved rudely towards then Union Minister and senior BJP leader Pon Radhakrishnan during his visit to Sabarimala at the height of the temple agitation in 2018. Reports have also surfaced about a WhatsApp group among police personnel called “Pacha Velicham” (meaning Green Light), which is said to promote religious fundamentalism while being openly anti-Hindu, anti-RSS, and anti-BJP. These are only a few examples, merely the tip of the iceberg.
It appears to have become a disturbing trend among some government employees in Kerala to insult Hindutva, national forces, and their icons with impunity.
President Droupadi Murmu visited the Sabarimala Temple on October 17, 2025, during her three-day tour of Kerala. Becoming the first sitting President of India to visit the shrine, she offered prayers to Bhagwan Ayyappa. Her visit highlighted national reverence for Sabarimala’s spiritual and cultural heritage.
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