The Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), the autonomous body that manages Hindu temples in Kerala, has issued a circular reaffirming its ban on Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Shakhas and their activities within the premises of Kerala temples under its jurisdiction.
The circular dated May 18 expressed dissatisfaction that its earlier orders banning RSS activities in Hindu temples have not been implemented.
“The board has banned all practices other than those related to the rituals and ceremonies of the temple… Use of temple properties and assets have also been banned for holding mass drills via the order dated 30-03-2021,” said the circular issued by the TDB secretary. The notice says that strict disciplinary actions will be taken against temple authorities who fail to follow the instructions. The temple authorities also have been asked to inform about any irregularities in this regard.
The board had issued a circular in March 2021 directing the officials to strictly implement the order and take necessary actions in this regard. The TDB had said that strict actions will be taken against Devaswom officers who allow functioning of RSS sakhas, drills and physical trainings on the premises of the board managed temples. In an earlier order issued in 2016, the TDB had banned RSS from conducting any arms training and drills on temple properties.
TDB officials told the media that the circular has been reissued again to ensure that RSS is not allowed to conduct any activities in temple premises managed by the board.
In 2016, the then Devaswom Minister Kadakampally Surendran had alleged that the RSS was trying to turn temples into storehouses of arms in Kerala and that the government had been receiving a large number of complaints in this regard.
Earlier in 2015, the Travancore Devaswom Board had told the Kerala High Court that no permission has been granted to Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh to conduct drills or ‘Shakha’ in temple premises. The submission was filed at the court in response to a petition filed alleging that RSS was conducting arms training in temples.
Despite repeated orders banning RSS from temples, the order is not being fully implemented, forcing the board to reissue the order again. Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) is one of the five autonomous bodies that manages nearly 3,000 temples in Kerala. TDB runs over 1,200 temples, including Sabarimala temple. The other four boards are Cochin Devaswom Board, Malabar Devaswom Board, Guruvayur Devaswom Board and Koodalmanikyam board. The state govt has a Devaswom Ministry to manage the affairs of the boards, K Radhakrishnan is the minister in the current LDF government.
