The attack on an NSS Karayogam building at Nemom here early on Friday put the police on edge.
Unknown persons threw stones at the building under the cover of darkness, breaking the glass cover of the casing that housed a small idol of social reformer Chattambi Swami.
Passers-by who discovered the vandalism in the morning also found a wreath with the name of NSS general secretary Sukumaran Nair written on it.
Emergency service personnel had found a similar wreath with the name of Sandeepananda Giri when they responded to an arson attack at his ashram last week. Assistant Commissioner, Fort, J.K. Dinil said the police had initiated a probe. It was too early to draw parallels between the two crimes.
Mr. Nair reacted strongly to the attack. The NSS was strong enough to counter such cowardly acts. He hinted that he knew the forces behind the roguishness.
Mr. Nair said miscreants had frequently targeted NSS offices ever since the social organisation took the firm stance that the practices at Sabarimala should be preserved.
Many political leaders visited the spot and condemned the incident. Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, MP, said only cowards incapable of intellectually opposing their ideological opponents would resort to such dastardly tactics. The BJP said the LDF had stoked animosity against the NSS for peacefully spearheading the Save Sabarimala campaign through prayers and marches.
Congress reaction
Leader of the Opposition Ramesh Chennithala said it was undemocratic to attack those who held divergent views on social and political issues. Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president Mullappally Ramachandran said the attack was a deliberate attempt to create caste divisions.
CPI(M) stance
The CPI(M) State secretariat too expressed strong protest over the attack. A press note by the party said the government should take stern action against the perpetrators. It said the attack on the NSS office and the hate campaign launched by the Sangh Parivar had to be viewed in the light of the BJP president Amit Shah’s threat to pull down the government in Kerala.
