Why Communal Tension in Tamil Nadu’s Thiruparankundram is Another Warning Signal

Sekar Palanisamy and Edgar Kaiser

The Tamil Nadu government's silence on the matter only adds to the disconcerting scenario, highlighting the need for public attention and unity.

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The core issue

On December 25, 2024, a group of Muslim men were on their way to the dargah, with chicken and goat. The police restricted their entry and stopped them from carrying out animal sacrifice – a practice which has been prevalent here for a long time now. 

For centuries, Hindus and Muslims in the area have lived in harmony, respecting and participating in each other’s religious traditions. However, recent allegations by right wing organisations that Muslims are trying to take over the site, calling it ‘Sikkandar Hill’, and introducing meat sacrifice as a new practice, have been unanimously dismissed by locals as baseless and divisive. To prevent these elements from disrupting their long-standing communal harmony, residents of Thiruparankundram, along with representatives of several political parties including Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK), Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK) and Congress, submitted a petition to the district collector on January 27.

Following this incident, right wing outfit Hindu Munnani sought permission from the police to conduct a peaceful protest which was denied and a prohibitory order was instead issued by the district collector under Section 163 of Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023. 

The outfit also approached the Madurai bench of the Madras high court and got the go-ahead to conduct the peaceful protest. Thousands of people were mobilised for the protest across the state, who chanted slogans like, “Retrieve the Kandar Malai.” 

Next, this issue took a turn when H. Raja, national secretary of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), appealed to relocate the dargah to a different site. Raja was booked for stoking religious sentiments for his alleged comment, “The first war, like Ayodhya, has already begun at Thiruparankundram which is Lord Murugan’s first army camp.”

On February 14, the high court dismissed a petition filed by Hindu Munnani to conduct a procession in Chennai carrying a vel (Lord Murugan’s lance). The court categorically asked the outfit not to create any communal tension.