CM Vijayan, Venugopal, Chennithala slam assault on pastor in Odisha

Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 23 (LatestNewsX) A brutal assault on a Christian pastor in Odisha has triggered sharp political reactions across Kerala, with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan leading the condemnation and warning that the incident reflects a wider, systematic attack on India’s secular fabric.

In a strongly worded post on X, Vijayan said forcing a human being to consume cow dung was a “deeply inhuman act” and not an isolated crime.

He alleged that such violence was being emboldened by the “silence and complicity of BJP-led governments” and accused Sangh Parivar outfits of fostering an atmosphere of hatred across the country.

Drawing a parallel with the 1999 murder of missionary Graham Staines and his two young sons, Vijayan said that even 27 years later, the same forces of intolerance continue to operate with impunity.

“Across India, constitutional democracy is under sustained attack,” the Chief Minister said, calling for firm resistance to what he described as coordinated communal politics.

Echoing similar concerns, AICC general secretary K.C. Venugopal MP demanded the immediate arrest of all those involved in the Odisha incident.

In letters to the Union Home Minister and the Odisha Chief Minister, Venugopal said nearly 40 Bajrang Dal activists allegedly led the attack, during which the pastor was assaulted and humiliated, forced to wear a garland of footwear, made to consume cow dung and compelled to chant religious slogans.

Venugopal described the incident as a direct assault on religious freedom and warned that such vigilante violence against minorities was eroding the rule of law and pluralism.

Congress Working Committee member Ramesh Chennithala termed the incident “barbaric and cruel”, saying it had shaken the conscience of the nation.

He alleged that Sangh Parivar forces were targeting minorities under the protection of BJP governments and cautioned that attacks on the constitutional right to practise and propagate one’s faith posed a grave threat to democracy.

Chennithala demanded exemplary punishment for the perpetrators and urged the Centre to intervene urgently to ensure the safety of minorities across the country.

Together, the statements from Vijayan, Venugopal and Chennithala underline a rare convergence of political voices from Kerala, framing the Odisha assault not merely as an act of mob violence but as a warning signal for India’s secular ethos.

As demands for arrests and accountability grow louder, the incident has once again brought national focus on religious freedom, minority rights and the responsibilities of governments to uphold constitutional values.

sg/pgh