Ashram of Swami Sandeepananda Giri, who supported Sabarimala verdict, attacked

Unidentified men set ablaze two cars and a scooter parked in the compound of Swami Sandeepananda Giri’s ashram located in Kundamankadavu in Thiruvananthapuram.

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Tension following the Supreme Court verdict allowing women of all ages to enter the Sabarimala temple continues to prevail in the state of Kerala. On Saturday, the ashram of Swami Sandeepananda Giri, the director of the School of Bhagavad Gita, was attacked by unidentified men, who set ablaze two cars and a scooter parked in the compound of the ashram located in Kundamankadavu in Thiruvananthapuram.

The incident took place during the early hours of Saturday and some unidentified persons set the two cars and the scooter on fire. Talking to the media about the incident, Sandeepananda Giri said, “The incident took place around 2 am. We were notified about the incident by our neighbours.”

Swami Sandeepananda Giri has welcomed the Supreme Court verdict and has also strongly questioned the Thantri family and the Pandalam royal family over their stand on banning the entry of women aged between 10 and 50 from entering the Sabarimala temple.

“I hold the Thantri family, the Pandalam royal family and BJP state president, Sreedharan Pillai, responsible for this attack. These are the people who are inciting others to burn the state,” said Sandeepananda Giri.

“I had earlier questioned them by asking on what basis or beliefs they are saying that women aged between 10 and 50 cannot enter the temple. This question seems to have threatened them. They are wrong if they think that they can silence a swami by threatening him,” he added.

Condemning the attack on the ashram, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said, “No one will be allowed to take the law into their own hands. Strict action will be taken against the culprits. All dissenting opinions must be confronted on ideological grounds. It is when one fails to do that, they’ll start resorting to violent methods,” said Pinarayi Vijayan.

The CM went on to say that Swami Sandeepananda Giri promoted secular values and was against the misuse of spirituality for political gains.

“The people who attacked the ashram would have been those who were uncomfortable with these traits of the swami,” said Pinarayi Vijayan.

Meanwhile, the police have reached the site of the incident and are investigating.