Tamil Nadu: BJP leader summoned over defamatory posts amid Chidambaram temple controversy

SG Suryah, the BJP Tamil Nadu state secretary and director of the right-wing website The Commune, has been served a summons by Chidambaram Town police in Tamil Nadu in relation to an FIR filed over alleged defamatory social media posts.

The posts in question were made in connection with the Aani Thirumanjanam festival held at the historic Nataraja Temple in Chidambaram. Police sources have revealed that Suryah has been asked to meet with the investigation officer on July 4.

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The FIR was filed based on a complaint made by a revenue official, which highlighted defamatory Twitter posts accusing local authorities of harassment during the festival. The summons also extends to Kaushik Subramanian, a co-director at The Commune, who is expected to respond to the summons as well.

The controversy surrounding the festival began when temple priests, known as Dikshithars, denied devotees access to the Kanagasabai mandapam at the Chidambaram temple in Cuddalore district during the four-day Aani Thirumanjanam festival, which commenced on June 24. The Dikshithars displayed a notice expressing their refusal, later removed by the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) department.

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On June 28, The Commune published an article alleging that an HR&CE official and the police had harassed the Dikshithars, claiming physical aggression and desecration of their religious symbols. These accusations were made in response to the HR&CE department’s actions, during which an official named Saranya, accompanied by female police personnel, removed the notice board despite opposition from the Dikshithars.

An altercation ensued, leading to Saranya filing a complaint with the Chidambaram police, accusing the Dikshithars of obstruction and assault. A police official stated, “Following this, Sivarama Dikshithar, secretary of the Podhu Dikshithar committee, and 10 others, including some priests, have been booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, as well as Section 4 of the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Women Act.”

The summons issued to Suryah come at a time when the Tamil Nadu government plans to assume control of the temple administration from the Dikshithars. The government’s decision is based on allegations of the Dikshithars denying devotees their right to worship, alleged irregularities, and a lack of transparency in the temple administration.