Swayamsevaks turned out in more than double the number at an RSS shakha in Aravanchal in Kerala’s Kannur district on October 1, a day after CPM workers reportedly attacked the shakha and tried to stop it from functioning. The shakha, which had an upasthiti of around 15 Swayamsevaks on September 30, witnessed the participation of more than 50 Swayamsevaks the following day.
CPM goons, on the evening of September 30, attacked an RSS shakha in Aravanchal in Cherupuzha Khand of Payyannoor Sangh zilla. The place falls under Kannur revenue district. The goons, led by DYFI goons Nithin Sidhardh and Sarath, attacked the shakha, which was attended by children (Bal Swayamsevaks) as well.
As per reports, the CPM goons entered the sanghastan, shouted at the Swayamsevaks and asked them to leave the place, saying that they would not ‘allow’ the shakha to run there. When the Swayamsevaks remained in the sanghastan, the goons manhandled them. The upasthiti (strength of the Swayamsevaks) at the shakha was about 15.
The shakha was being conducted under the ‘Shakha Karyavisthar Yojana’ in connection with the centenary of the RSS.
The very next day, on October 1, Sangh workers conducted the shakha at the same sanghastan. This time, the upasthiti was much higher, with more than 50 Swayamsevaks attending.
The Swayamsevaks approached the police station with a complaint. The police subsequently convened a meeting involving workers from both organisations.
During the meeting, CPM goons argued that the shakha should not function at the location. The Swayamsevaks, however, asserted that if shakhas can function in other parts of the country, they would also continue to function in Aravanchal. There are reports that the police have registered a case against the CPM men.
Another incident has been reported from Panunda in the same district. A shakha is conducted on the premises of a Swayamsevak’s home there. On the night of September 30, CPM goons reportedly burnt a shed on the premises. The incident is seen as an attempt to create fear in the area and discourage the house owner and other Swayamsevaks from continuing the shakha.
The aforementioned incidents indicate that the CPM is still not in a mood to tolerate the Sangh and its ideologies in a place where it has the most powerful district unit in the state (and in the country as well). However, the Swayamsevaks will not yield to the CPM’s sinister designs. They have been fighting for their existence for several decades in Kannur district.
