Secrecy row erupts over Kerala CM’s son’s visit to Guruvayur temple

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s son, Vivek Kiran, offered prayers at the Guruvayur Sree Krishna Temple with his family on Monday evening.

Vivek Kiran and his family arrived at the temple, visited sub-shrines, and performed rituals. According to reports, Devaswom authorities arranged special facilities for them to have darshan with VIP privileges in a low-profile manner. Devaswom Administrator OB Arunkumar was also present during the visit.

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The visit sparked controversy when a local media reporter recorded visuals of the occasion. It is reported that security personnel, along with Devaswom staff, intervened, stopped the reporter, and allegedly forced the deletion of the recorded footage. Some reports also claimed that the journalist was manhandled by security personnel.

The Devaswom Board usually informs the media about VIP visits to the temple; however, no such information was shared regarding Vivek Kiran’s arrival.

The visit drew attention due to the secrecy surrounding it and the reported manhandling of media personnel, especially in light of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s Communist ideology.

Critics highlighted the perceived contradiction of a family member of a Communist Chief Minister, whose party often critiques organized religion, visiting a prominent Hindu temple.