Kerala BJP faces backlash; Centre rejects demand to punish Yathish Chandra

NEW DELHI: In a setback for Kerala BJP leadership, the Central government has decided to close the case against Yathish Chandra IPS for misbehaving towards former Union Minister Pon Radhakrishnan during last year's Mandala season.

The incident happened when Pon Radhakrishnan attempted to visit the Sabarimala temple during the BJP's protest last year against the Supreme Court order allowing the entry of women into the temple. Controversy erupted when Yathish Chandra blocked the minister and other BJP state leaders at Nilackal citing security reasons. Following this, several BJP leaders went on to hold protest against the IPS officer and claimed that they will make sure that the Centre takes appropriate action against him.

However, the Union Home Ministry has made it clear that it has not taken any action against Yathish Chandra. The ministry also revealed that it had asked the Kerala government to submit a report regarding the incident and the decision to spare the IPS official was based on this report. The ministry made the revelation as a reply to an RTI question about the action taken against the officer.