T.V. Ramana Murthy, a Hindu activist who opposes the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, was attacked during a television debate on the night of Tuesday. Kashyap Reddy, who calls himself "Dharmaveer Kashyap," allegedly struck him with a shoe during a live debate on a news channel. The incident, which unfolded in real time before thousands of viewers, went viral within hours and sparked public outrage.
Kashyap attacked Murthy immediately after his opening remarks, in which he questioned the BJP's use of religion for political ends. Ramana Murthy had specifically objected to the pairing of Prime Minister Modi's image alongside depictions of Rama and Krishna and alleged that the Ram Temple movement had become a vehicle for corruption within the Vishwa Hindu Parishad.
Kashyap appeared to have pre-planned the attack; he struck Murthy on camera before the debate could proceed further, and the broadcast captured the sudden escalation live.
Following the attack, Murthy issued a public statement condemning the violence, saying physical intimidation would not silence him or alter his position. Clips of the confrontation drew widespread condemnation on YouTube and Facebook, with viewers and civil society groups demanding accountability for the assault and questioning the security arrangements for live television debates.
At a press conference on Wednesday, Murthy alleged that the VHP, Bajrang Dal and BJP had effectively taken control of the Ayodhya temple movement by sidelining the Nirmohi Akhara, and he invoked the memory of Baba Lal Das, the priest who served as the court-appointed head of the Ram Janmabhoomi shrine before he was murdered in 1993. Lal Das had been an outspoken critic of the RSS, VHP and BJP's handling of the temple movement, and had alleged embezzlement of Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas funds; his killing has long been suspected — though never conclusively proven in court — to be linked to that criticism.
"The Sangh organisations have looted hundreds of crores of rupees in the name of Ram over the decades, and Lal Das paid with his life for questioning it," Murthy alleged, drawing a line from that unresolved case to the embezzlement scandal that has recently engulfed the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, in which eight people have been arrested and two senior trustees have resigned. He called the current case "only the tip of the iceberg."
Murthy predicted the present investigation would ultimately be allowed to fade. "All the signs indicate that no one from the Sangh Parivar will be permitted to question the corruption and looting done in Ram's name. Whatever the case's outcome, it will likely be pinned on some low-level staff, who will eventually be quietly released," he said. He further alleged that the temple was opened to the public before construction was complete because of the 2024 general election schedule, and said that overpoliticisation, corruption allegations and the incomplete construction had led four Shankaracharyas to boycott the consecration ceremony.
