Rajeev Chandrasekhar, state president for the BJP Kerala, has lambasted the Kerala Police over the FIR on Operation Sindoor-themed Onam ‘Pookkalam’. He demanded that police withdraw the “shameful” and “seditious” FIR, which he said is an insult to those who lost their lives in the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.
‘Insult to Op Sindoor victims’
“This is Kerala. It is a proud part of India. Yet, an FIR has been lodged for making a Pookkalam with the words ‘Operation Sindoor’ in it,” Chandrasekhar wrote, before adding that it is “absolutely unacceptable”.
He further expressed, “This FIR by Kerala Police is an insult to each of those 26 victims of terror and their families, and also every soldier who defends India with his blood and sacrifice.”
The 61-year-old said that Operation Sindoor is the “symbol of valour and courage” of our armed forces and also of every soldier who is on the frontline.
The former minister also said that this type of “shameless appeasement will be opposed” in the name of every Malayali who believes in serving the nation.
“Kerala is not, and will never be, a land ruled by Jamaat-e-Islami or Pakistan. Kerala Police must not forget that this is India. To them and to the CM/Home Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, I say withdraw this shameful and seditious FIR. Now!”
This is Kerala. It is a proud part of India. Yet, an FIR has been lodged for making a Pookkalam with the words "Operation Sindoor" in it.
— Rajeev Chandrasekhar 🇮🇳 (@RajeevRC_X) September 6, 2025
Absolutely Unacceptable!
Operation Sindoor is our pride. It is the symbol of the valor and courage of India’s armed forces. It is an… https://t.co/7C8ocJsIG5 pic.twitter.com/V2DDzuwAdX
Onam ‘Pookkalam’ row: what’s the matter?
On the occasion of Onam, an Operation Sindoor-themed ‘Pookkalam’ was a part of the festivities near Sree Parthasarathy Temple at Muthupilakkadu in Kollam district. According to the temple committee, the floral carpet also had an RSS flag, which is against the High Court order.
After violent incidents over the control of the temple, the matter reached the High Court, which in 2020 pronounced that police should remove all the installations/flags/festoons associated with political parties and organisations from the temple premises. It also banned the use of political symbols and flags within a radius of 100 metres from the temple, and in 2023, the court rejected a petition seeking relaxation in the earlier order.
As per the viral images, the ‘Pookkalam’ had a saffron flag on the left and the words “Operation Sindoor” below it.
‘We have full respect for Op Sindoor, but…’
The temple committee said that they have full respect for the Operation Sindoor that India carried out against Pakistan to avenge the loss of lives in the Valley, but they are just abiding by the High Court order.
“To avoid such confrontations, we approached the High Court, which in 2023 banned any decorative items, including flags, near the temple compound. Despite this, RSS activists laid a floral carpet with their flag and inscribed ‘Operation Sindoor’ with flowers right next to the temple committee’s floral design,” the temple committee told PTI. The order was passed by the High Court after there were frequent clashes over flag installations near the temple during festivals.
It added, “Since this violated the High Court order and could spark clashes, we filed a complaint. We have full respect for Operation Sindoor, but this is not what the accused are portraying it.”
Asokan C, who is a part of the temple committee, had filed a complaint, saying that the ‘Pookkalam’ violated the HC order.
‘FIR over RSS flag, not Op Sindoor’: Kerala Police
The Kerala Police said that they would take action against those who spread the misleading claims, adding that 27 RSS activists were booked for using a political symbol in ‘Pookkalam’. The police said that they have taken action over the RSS flag and not for the words “Operation Sindoor”.
“On the eve of Onam, the RSS workers and sympathisers arranged a flower carpet near the main way to the temple. Along with that, they had also designed a pookalam similar to the saffron flag and a flex of Chhatrapati Shivaji barely 50 metres away from the temple,” the police said, adding, “This was done without the permission of the temple committee. They had given assurance to the committee that no RSS symbol would be used for pookkalam.”
“Along with this pookalam, they had written ‘Operation Sindoor’ with flowers. Nobody has complained about writing ‘Operation Sindoor’ with flowers. The complaint is only against designing the RSS flag…,” the police further said.
The Kerala Police have filed an FIR under sections 223, 192, and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).