Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala police here on Thursday booked five people over the protest against Mahatma Gandhi’s great-grandson Tushar Gandhi in the state capital. The case was registered after Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan condemned the protest and warned of legal action against the protesters.

"The five are facing charges under Sections 189(2), 191(2), 190, and 126(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for unlawful assembly, rioting, and wrongful restraint. An investigation is underway, and no arrests have been made so far," an official said.

On Wednesday, a group of men linked to Sangh Parivar raised slogans against Tushar Gandhi during the closing ceremony of a function he attended at Neyyattinkkara. Gandhi was invited to the function as a special guest to unveil the statue of late Gandhian P Gopinathan Nair. 

In his speech, he reportedly stated that cancer had crippled the country's soul and accused the Sangh Parivar of spreading it. In the visuals aired on news channels, a group of men were seen raising slogans urging Tushar Gandhi to withdraw his statement. As per news reports, RSS and BJP workers staged the protest demanding Tushar Gandhi to withdraw his statement.

Tension gripped the area as BJP-RSS workers shouted slogans and blocked his car. The protesters said the municipal ward was represented by the BJP. However, Tushar Gandhi left the venue after raising the slogan "Gandhiji ki Jai," affirming that his stance remained unchanged.

Condemning the protest, the Chief Minister noted that in Neyyattinkara, Tushar Gandhi had expressed his concern "that the soul of the nation was being afflicted by the cancer of communalism."

"Our culture respects even opposing viewpoints. The Sangh Parivar is tarnishing that very culture. Without succumbing to provocation, Tushar Gandhi simply raised a call of 'Jai Gandhi' and left. Attempts to block the visits of national and international figures to Kerala will not be tolerated," he said.

"This is highly condemnable. Actions that suppress freedom of expression cannot be allowed in a democratic society. Legal and democratic measures will be taken against such tendencies," the Chief Minister said in a statement.