Chennai: About 440 BJP members including the party’s national secretary H. Raja and Kancheepuram north district president Mohana Raja were arrested for staging a protest condemning the sudden “mushrooming of churches” on Perumalmalai peak in Azhagusamudram Panchayat in Chengalpattu in neighbouring Kancheepuram district on Sunday evening.
All of them were later released. According to Mr. Mohana Raja the Perumalmalai has long since been the venue for conducting the “Parivettai” and there is also a temple for Lord Vishnu, in the vicinity.
“Recently, with the connivance of a revenue official, Christians have installed about a dozen idols of Mary on the hill and attempted to make a Girivalam. But the villagers and the BJP members prevented this. Only after our protest, the revenue authorities removed the statues,” Mr. Mohana Raja said.
On Sunday when the party’s national secretary led the protest condemning the “usurpation” of the hillock named after Lord Vishnu, the police denied permission for holding the agitation.
