Kochi: Kerala witnessed the maiden jihadi strike in the name of ‘Mappilla Lehala’ (Malabar Rebellion) in which thousands of Hindus lost their lives in 1921, BJP state chief Kummanam Rajashekharan said near Kozhikkode.

The genocide was a one-sided attack on the Hindus and was like rubbing salt on the wound when being described as freedom struggle, he told mediapersons.

“If it were freedom struggle, why then were so many members of the majority community killed,” he asked.
Hindu temples were razed to the ground during the clash and legendary poet Kumaran Asan had described​ it as anarchy. It was atrocious to glorify the event and this should stop, Kummanam said.

The kin of the perpetrators are getting pension which should actually go to the relatives of the victims, he said. Several Hindu families, including that of the late communist leader EMS Namboodiripad migrated to safer places, he added.

Historians and the government should show the courage to tell the truth about the incident to new generation. He said mainstream political parties should stay away from the centenary celebrations of the Khilafat movement.