THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that the Muzaffarnagar incident is a strong warning that there is a need to mount a strong defence against the Sangh Parivar ideology. He wrote on Facebook that all democratic secular believers should join hands to implement that responsibility without compromise.

Muzaffarnagar incident is a reminder that communalism and fascism can drain the last shred of empathy and love from a human being. If a teacher is able to make classmates belonging to other religions punish a seven-year-old child on the basis of religion, how much communal poison must have gripped her!

This incident is not isolated. Hindutva communalism is trying to turn India from a great example of democracy into a hotbed of hatred. News coming from Haryana, Manipur and UP confirms it. Sangh Parivar is trying to dehumanize minorities and Dalits and reduce them to a social status worse than animals, the Chief Minister said.