Kerala-based Hindutva ideologue and former head of the BJP’s state intellectual cell, T.G. Mohandas, has sparked widespread condemnation after videos surfaced in which he said he would have ordered security forces to shoot student protesters at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar if he were in power, and made highly derogatory remarks targeting women participants as “rape-loving.”
The comments, made in videos on the Pathrika YouTube channel around July 24–26, 2026, referred to the recent prolonged agitation led primarily by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and other groups over alleged NEET exam irregularities. The protests, which included fasting by activist Sonam Wangchuk and drew large crowds of students and youth, culminated in the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
In one video, Mohandas described a hypothetical response to the demonstrations:
“I will impose a curfew in about a 4 square kilometre area around Jantar Mantar. Then I would announce thrice for the crowd to disperse. After that, I will open fire. People will scatter away and run for their lives. Some may die, some may suffer disabilities. Within four hours, the situation will be calm. Then I will collect the bodies and take them to hospitals.”
In related remarks, he addressed the presence of women at the protest site:
“Gangrapes will happen. In this case, there won’t be any complaints as these are people who like being raped. There are women who like being raped, especially Leftists, secular, democratic and proletarians. Now if someone dies during this, they will turn the person into a martyr.”
Other reports quote him referring to “rape-loving women” and stating that mass rapes would draw no complaints because the participants “like rape,” particularly those from leftist, secular, democratic, and proletarian backgrounds.
The remarks triggered immediate backlash. Student and youth organisations including the Students’ Federation of India (SFI), All India Youth Federation (AIYF), Youth Congress, and People’s Democratic Party lodged complaints with Kerala police alleging hate speech, incitement to violence, and misogyny. Kerala Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala ordered a cyber cell probe led by Inspector General P. Prakash.
AIYF leader T.T. Jismon, one of the complainants, said in a statement:
“The remarks cannot be considered an emotional outburst, but reflect the true face of an ideology that rejects the values of the renaissance and the rights guaranteed by the Constitution. The statement of the RSS leader is a manifestation of a fascist mindset that seeks to suppress peaceful democratic protests through violence. His reference to the students as rapists is an insult to thousands of youths who took part in the agitation.”
Opposition Leader Pinarayi Vijayan demanded a case be registered, arguing the comments reflected a broader desire within the Sangh Parivar to curb dissent. Congress leaders described the statements as evidence of a “disgusting, violent, and misogynistic mindset.” Student groups across Kerala have called for Mohandas’s arrest.
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) distanced itself. South Kerala Saha Prantha Karyavah K.B. Sreekumar said Mohandas’s comments were “his personal thoughts and he is not an RSS official at any level,” adding that the organisation does not agree with the views and that such views should be condemned in every highest possible manner.
Mohandas later clarified that his remarks were “satirical” and “hypothetical,” claiming short clips were taken out of context from a longer discussion and that Malayalam satire and idiomatic expressions lost nuance in English translation. He maintained he was illustrating standard police procedures for handling violent situations rather than advocating actual violence.
As of July 28, 2026, the police investigation continues amid ongoing political and public criticism of the comments.
