VCK minister calls for eradication of Sanatana Dharma and uprooting of Hindutva in Coimbatore Tamil Nadu
Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India 
26 October, 2026
Case Summary
In Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, VCK minister Vanni Arasu called for eradicating Sanatana Dharma and uprooting Hindutva. He mentioned this while speaking to reporters during the funeral procession of Akilan, a 16-year-old Class XI student from Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, who died by suicide on October 21, 2026, following alleged caste-based harassment and taunts by classmates and staff regarding his caste and eating habits. Akilan’s parents received his body and performed his last rites on Tuesday, 27 October 2026. Speaking during the procession, Arasu said, “There is a need to uproot caste impurities and Hindutva. The struggle for social liberation must continue until caste discrimination is eliminated.” His remarks came after he paid tribute to Akilan, saying he did so at the Chief Minister's direction. Arasu’s statements were part of a series of earlier remarks in which he had called for the abolition of Hinduism and the eradication of Sanatana Dharma. In 2020, during a live debate, he stated, “We take pride in our continuous campaign against Hinduism and Hindutva.” HinduPost published this statement in November 2021 and also cited a separate debate in which Arasu said that Hindu Dharma should be abolished and that this could be achieved by abolishing caste. On 18 February 2022, Arasu spoke about introducing a ban on the wearing of the Poonool (sacred thread or Janeu) if VCK came to power and its leader, Thol. Thirumavalavan became Chief Minister. He described the proposed ban as the first step towards destroying Sanatana Dharma. The Commune published his remarks on 19 February 2022. In an interview published by The News Minute on 7 September 2023, Arasu reiterated his opposition to Sanatana Dharma and stated, “Our party’s goal is to ensure that Sanatana Dharma is eradicated not only from Tamil Nadu, but from all over the country.” He also maintained that the campaign against Sanatana Dharma would continue. On 24 August 2025, while addressing a seminar on honour killings in Mylapore, Chennai, Arasu criticised Hindu religious epics, particularly the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. He referred to the episode of Bhagwan Ram and Shambuka, interpreting it as an example of caste oppression, and discussed the use of narratives from Hindu religious texts to justify caste-based discrimination. He also referred to the four-varna system and attributed its creation to Krishna. Linking honour killings to what he described as the Sanatana and Varnashrama ideology, he stated, “That is Sanatana and varnashrama ideology. Ambedkar wanted to destroy this ideology.” News Today subsequently reported that he had argued that Hinduism itself needed to be dismantled to achieve social justice. On 17 September 2026, while marking Periyar’s birth anniversary, Arasu again advocated eradicating Sanatana Dharma. He said that Periyar had remained uncompromising in his efforts to eradicate Sanatana Dharma, just as he had fought patriarchy and casteism. Arasu said VCK would continue its efforts to eradicate Sanatana Dharma in line with Periyar’s ideals. He also reiterated VCK’s opposition to the RSS and contrasted the party’s position with that of the DMK, which had previously been part of alliances with the BJP. The New Indian Express published these remarks on 18 September 2026. During the 27 October 2026 funeral procession, Arasu also addressed the issue of caste-based harassment surrounding Akilan’s death. He stated that the appointment of eight Scheduled Caste ministers in the Tamil Nadu Cabinet would not, by itself, eliminate caste discrimination. Describing the belief that everything would change merely because eight Scheduled Caste representatives had become ministers as “superstition”, he called for sustained efforts to dismantle the caste system. Referring to the Justice Chandru Committee report, he called for removing caste names from schools and stressed the need to ensure students' safety in schools and colleges. Regarding Akilan’s death, Arasu said that a CB-CID investigation had been ordered and that those responsible would be identified and brought before the law, regardless of their caste background. He stated that he had remained in contact with activists and police officials since the protests began and had urged the authorities in Chennai to arrest those responsible. He added that all concerns needed to be addressed through a thorough investigation. Arasu also said that he would have joined the protests had he not been a minister, but was working from within the government to secure justice. He stated that the protests had continued for seven days and that he had remained involved throughout.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
The primary category for this case is: Hate speech against Hindus. The subcategory for this case is: Anti-Hindu slurs, mocking faiths. Anti-Hindu slurs and the deliberate mocking of the Hindu faith owing to religious animosity involve the usage of derogatory terms, stereotypes, or offensive references to religious practices, symbols, or figures. One of the common anti-Hindu slurs used against Hindus is “cow-worshipper” and “cow piss drinker”. The intention of using this term is to demean and mock Hindus as a group and their religious beliefs since Hindus consider the cow holy. Additionally, some symbols and the slurs attached to them have a historical context that exacerbates the insult, hate, stereotyping, dehumanisation and oppression against Hindus. Cow worship has been used for centuries to denigrate Hindus, insult their faith and oppress Hindus specifically as a religious group. There has been overwhelming documentation about how cow slaughter has been used to persecute Hindus, with cow meat being thrown in temples and places of worship. There has also been overwhelming documentation where cow meat (beef) has been force-fed to Hindus to either forcefully convert them to Islam or denigrate their faith. Apart from cow worship, the Swastika – which holds deep religious significance for the Hindus – has also been misinterpreted and distorted to be used as a slur against Hindus. Similarly, the worship of the Shivling has been used by supremacist ideologies and religions to denigrate Hindus owing to religious animosity. Such slurs and denigration stem from inherent animosity and hate towards Hindus and their faith; therefore, it is categorised as hate speech targeted at Hindus specifically owing to their religious identity. The death of 16-year-old Akilan was deeply tragic. The reports of caste-based harassment and humiliation that he faced at school deserve to be taken seriously, thoroughly investigated and condemned. Any student subjected to discrimination or taunts because of their caste deserves justice, and those responsible must be held accountable. However, VCK Minister Vanni Arasu went beyond demanding justice for Akilan. While speaking at the student's funeral, he called for the eradication of Sanatana Dharma and the uprooting of Hindutva. The problem with these remarks is that the minister used an individual case of alleged caste-based harassment to launch a sweeping attack on Sanatana Dharma and Hindutva. Classmates and school staff whose conduct was reported needed to be investigated, and those responsible held accountable. But the minister did not establish any connection between Akilan's death and Sanatana Dharma or Hindutva, or explain why either needed to be eradicated in response to the incident. A tragedy involving specific individuals was turned into an occasion to condemn an entire religious tradition and a broader Hindu cultural identity. Sanatana Dharma is an endonym for the faith professed by Hindus. The term has its roots in Sanskrit and is commonly understood as "Eternal Dharma", referring to the ancient and continuing religious tradition of Hindus. It appears in Hindu scriptures and texts, including the Mahabharata and the Manusmriti. Sanatana Dharma is not an external political label separate from the people who profess it. It is the name Hindus use to identify their faith and religious tradition. Therefore, calling for its eradication goes beyond criticising a social practice or opposing caste discrimination. It amounts to calling for the destruction of a religious tradition that is central to the identity and beliefs of millions of Hindus. Such language delegitimises the faith itself and creates a climate in which hostility towards Hindu religious identity can be normalised. Similarly, 'Hindutva' is often used as a euphemism to make the targeting of Hindus more palatable. Hindutva is essentially a unifying ideology for Hindus, which became imperative for Hindus to find and preserve their cultural identity, which was being eroded and attacked due to Islamic invasions, British colonisation, Christian theological impositions and conversions. Hindutva is not a destructive ideology, as some attempt to portray, but one that is used as a unifying edifice for Hindus. Hindutva is also often used as a euphemism to target Hindus as a whole and their religious identity and faith. It is essentially semantic jugglery to confuse Hindus into believing that their own persecution by supremacists is somehow 'justified' because the specific victims espoused an ideology (Hindutva) which deserves the onslaught. The fact that the use of 'Hindutva' is merely to mask animosity towards Hindus was evident from the "Dismantling Global Hindutva" conference held in the USA, where speakers unabashedly spoke about how Hindutva and Hinduism are indistinguishable and therefore, to "dismantle Hindutva" one would have to "dismantle Hinduism". The practices of targeting Hindus and their religious and cultural identity and justifying that victimisation and dehumanisation by using euphemisms like "Hindutva" stems out of inherent animosity and hostility towards Hindus. This distinction becomes particularly important when examining Vanni Arasu's remarks. His call to uproot Hindutva and eradicate Sanatan Dharma came at the funeral of a 16-year-old boy. Instead of limiting his criticism to the specific acts of discrimination under investigation, he used the occasion to target Sanatana Dharma and Hindutva. Notably, this was not the first time Vanni Arasu used public platforms to attack Hindu religious traditions. His previous statements, documented above, provide important context for understanding his remarks following Akilan's death. Viewed alongside this record, his call to eradicate Sanatana Dharma and uproot Hindutva cannot be seen merely as an expression of opposition to caste discrimination. It reflects a recurring hostility towards Hinduism, its religious traditions and its civilisational identity. Akilan's tragic death became yet another occasion for him to express that hostility.
Case Status
Unknown
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
State and Establishment
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
