Islamists in Tamil Nadu have threatened to bomb the gopuram (tower) of Srivilliputhur Divya Desam Temple at Srivilliputhur in Virudhunagar district on January 1, 2014. They have also threatened to kill the Hindu Munnani leaders in Srivilliputhur on that day.
The warning came in the form of a letter addressed to the headquarters of the Hindu Munnani and was received by its octogenarian leader Rama Gopalan at Chennai. The message in Tamil reads like this: “786 All Glory to God. The Tamil Nadu State emblem and the Hindu Munnani leaders of that town will be sent to Allah by Holy Jihad on January 1, 2014. Bismillah.”
The Tamil Nadu State emblem mentioned in the letter is the tower of Srivilliputhur Divya Desam Temple. When the State of Tamil Nadu was formed, the tower of this temple was selected as the official seal with the national Tri-colour and the words “Truth Alone Prevails”.
Rama Gopalan told The Pioneer that he would hand over the letter to the police. “This is not the first time that Islamists are coming out with threats of this kind. They have made such threats in the past since they claim that it is un-Islamic to worship or venerate idols and structures,” said Gopalan. The Hindu Munnani leader himself is a victim of brutal attack by Islamists. In 1995 he had a providential escape from the knives of terrorists.
The sender of the letter has put his name as Mohammed Aslam alias Kamaraj. The letter has been posted from Rajapalayam, which is fast emerging as a haven for Islamists. Some sections of the Dalits, especially the VCK led by Thirumavalavan have been demanding the removal of the tower from the official seal of the State Government. The seal was selected as per the wish of K Kamaraj, the former Chief Minister and leader of the Congress.