The police on Saturday deftly handled a likely face-off between the Hindu Aikya Vedi and the Popular Front of India (PFI) in some parts of the State over allegations of religious conversion.
The Hindu Aikya Vedi, with links to the Sangh Parivar, led a protest march to the Kerala Salafi Centres in Thiruvananthapuram, Manjeri and a few other places in protest against what it termed as illegal religious conversions being carried out there. The Popular Front of India took out marches in protest against what it called the designs of the Sangh Parivar to undermine the secular fabric of Kerala. The demonstrations were contained by the large police posse at separate areas to prevent an imminent clash among the groups.
The Hindu Aikya Vedi wanted the State government to take strong action to shut down centres that indulged in alleged religious conversion, besides bringing such institutions under government surveillance. The PFI alleged that political parties in the State were apathetic towards the attempt to destroy the secular fabric of the State.
At Manjeri, the police stopped the marchers on their way to Satya Sarani centre at Cherani, at the bus stand.
Inaugurating the protest, Bharatiya Janata Party State president Kummanam Rajasekharan said that they were not against the Muslim community. He said that illegal proselytisation centres like Satya Sarani were promoting coerced conversion into Islam and were thus promoting terrorism. He demanded that all illegal conversion centres should be closed down.
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) prantha karyavahak K. Gopalankutty and Hindu Aikya Vedi State general secretary K.P. Haridas addressed the protestors.
PFI activists had gathered at several points in Manjeri town since early morning with the aim to prevent the march.
PFI State council member P.P. Rafeek demanded that the RSS end its policy of provoking conflict among the communities in the State. PFI east and west district presidents P. Abdul Aziz and K. Mohammed Basheer too condemned the RSS.
