Tamil Nadu: Saffron shawl on Thiruvalluvar statue sparks fresh row

The controversy over the alleged saffronisation of Thiruvalluvar statue refuses to die down in Tamil Nadu as Hindu Makkal Katchi President Arjun Sambath on Wednesday draped a saffron-colour shawl over the statue of the poet at Pillayarpati in Thanjavur district. He also lit a lamp to the statue and tied a Rudrakash mala.

Hours after the leader arrived at the venue, the Vallam police arrested him for draping the saffron shawl on the poet's statue. Though the leader had got police permission to pay his tributes to the poet, his act caused tension in the area.

On Sunday, unknown miscreants vandalised the statue of the poet by splashing cow dung and wrapping its eyes with a black cloth.

Political parties across the state condemned the incident. A case was registered based on a complaint lodged by a local resident under four sections of IPC. Thanjavur police subsequently formed four special teams to nab the culprits.

Speaking before his arrest, Arjun Sambath said he suspected the handiwork of DMK behind the vandalisation of the statue and demanded immediate arrest of the accused. Defending his action of draping a saffron shawl, the leader claimed it was the original attire of the saint.

"Thiruvallur’s original statue had a saffron shawl. He is revered by the people of Tamil Nadu. Ancient scripts describe the saint as a Nayanar and prayers are conducted in the temple. Hindu Makkal Katchi demands that from here on when a statue of Thiruvallur is being commissioned, it should be done by adorning a saffron shawl and Rudraksha mala," he added.