Promoting religious enmity: Tamil Nadu BJP Pres. Annamalai booked

Dharmapuri: Tamil Nadu BJP president K Annamalai was named in a case for allegedly promoting religious enmity, police informed on Thursday. An FIR has been registered against him, PTI reported.

On January 8, the BJP leader visited Lourdes Church in Tamil Nadu's Dharmapuri district. But he faced opposition from a group of men there, and it turned into an argument between the leader and the group.

Those who confronted him raised the Manipur issue and the sufferings of Christians there. However, amid the chaotic atmosphere, Annamalai garlanded a statue in the church and offered prayers.

Dharmapuri district police said a case has been registered following a complaint from a local resident and after taking legal opinion.

IPC sections 153 A (promoting enmity on the grounds of religion etc.) and 504 (provocation to cause a breach of public peace) have been invoked against Annamalai, besides another section (505, sub-section 2) that deals with the promotion of hatred, a police official said.

The TN BJP chief visited the Our Lady of Lourdes Shrine located at B Pallipatti area under the Harur assembly segment during his 'En Mann, En Makkal' yatra in Dharmapuri district.

On Monday, Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh stated that there has been a shift in the nature of violence in Manipur. He highlighted that clashes have evolved from community-based conflicts to confrontations between state security forces and militants.

Speaking to NDTV, he said that "the violence during the new year was between the state security forces and militants, not between two communities." His statement came when gunfights were going on between security forces and insurgents in Moreh, a significant trading town along the India-Myanmar border.

He further expressed concerns regarding the evolving conflict dynamics, acknowledging a change where state forces are now engaged in battles against insurgent groups.