Kerala’s suspended Director General of Police Jacob Thomas has said people should chant the slogan “Jai Shri Ram” more vociferously, ANI reported on Friday. Thomas made the comments on Thursday while addressing a “Ramayana Fest” event in Thrissur district. He asserted that Ram, a Hindu deity, was not hailed anymore.
“Is Lord Ram really in our land now?” Thomas asked. “Did we reach a situation where we cannot hail Lord Ram? If our minds have reached a state where we cannot hail Ram, then we must think if we have become evil. Time has come for us to chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’ with more might.”
The police official said Ram was the embodiment of truthfulness, righteousness, justice and moral ethics, The Times of India reported.
His statement comes at a time when several people across the country, mostly Muslims, have faced violence or have been lynched by mobs for allegedly refusing to chant the religious slogan.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan suspended Thomas in 2017 for criticising the government on law-and-order matters in the aftermath of Cyclone Ockhi. His suspension was later extended after the Comptroller and Auditor General alleged that he was involved in a corruption scandal during his time at the state ports department.
On Monday, the Central Administrative Tribunal set aside the suspension order and directed the state government to reinstate Thomas in service.
Thomas said he hoped the state government will implement the order. “I applied for voluntary retirement in March & I’m waiting for a decision from government of India,” he told ANI. “My future plan is to do NGO related activities, teaching, and writing.”
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