Youth Morcha stages gag protest outside Tovino's residence after actor backs Delhi student agitation

Thrissur: A day after actor Tovino Thomas expressed solidarity with the student agitation in Delhi, members of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) staged a gag protest outside his residence, accusing him of making "selective" public interventions on social issues.

The BJYM, the youth wing of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), alleged that the actor had supported what it described as an "anti-national protest" in Delhi and said the demonstration was intended to highlight what it called his selective responses to public issues.

According to the organisers, their protest was held over what they described as Tovino's silence on alleged irregularities in Kerala Public Service Commission (PSC) recruitments and the ongoing nurses' protests in his home district of Thrissur. They claimed that while PSC rank list candidates and nurses continued their agitations, the actor had not publicly commented on either issue.

The protest in front of the actor's residence came amid widespread criticism of the Delhi Police's handling of the student demonstrations over alleged irregularities in competitive examinations. Tovino had voiced his opposition through an Instagram post, writing, "Right and wrong may be relative, but this is certainly NOT the way to handle a peaceful protest."

He said the use of force against peaceful protesters undermined democracy and extended his solidarity to those "protesting for a just cause" across the country. "The right to dissent is not a threat to democracy; in fact it is one of its foundations," he wrote.

The agitation against the actor was organised by the BJYM's Alur Mandalam unit. Mandalam President Vishwajith presided over the event, General Secretary Ashwanth welcomed the gathering, and District Vice President Ashish T Raj inaugurated the protest. Mandalam Secretary Sreemon and BJYM leaders Abhinav, Rahul and Prafull, among others, also participated.