Overview
- The bhajan set, performed on April 14 during a fundraiser outside the Vempinkulangara Sree Mahavishnu Temple in Kottayam, included a Christian hymn and drew applause from many attendees.
- Following the event, right-wing activists targeted the troupe Nandagovindam Bhajans with online abuse and accused the temple of allowing non-Hindu prayer inside a Hindu setting.
- The temple committee issued a statement saying it saw nothing wrong with the song, citing a local tradition in which Christians also light lamps during temple processions as a sign of shared civic life.
- Lead singer Naveen Mohan said the group crossed no lines and later described the hymn as a thank-you offered with the organisers’ consent, while adding that no hurt was intended.
- Hindu Aikya Vedi leaders sharpened the criticism, with state president R V Babu saying a temple is not a secular space and K. P. Sasikala posting a mocking analogy on Facebook.