National award-winning Malayalam film director T. R. Priyanandan was attacked and smeared with cow dung, in what the Kerala police described as a "lone wolf" attack near his house at Valachira in Thrissur on Friday.
The assault drew widespread criticism, notably from Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who blamed the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) for the incident.
He said the RSS routinely targeted intellectuals and thinkers who espoused the causes of social justice and secularism. Kerala would not brook such trespasses against intellectual freedom and liberal thought.
When contacted, Mr. Priyanandan said he had faced death threat from the BJP for his liberal views on entry of women of all ages into Sabarimala. The BJP had organised protests in his neighbourhood and threatened to kill him if he ventured out of his house. He alleged that a "BJP worker" waylaid him when he went to buy groceries.
Inspector General of Police, Thrissur Range, M. R. Ajith Kumar, told The Hindu that the police viewed the incident seriously. He has sought more details on the crime and efforts were on to identify the assailant and the plotters.
A police officer said Mr. Priyanandan appeared to have earned the ire of the Sangh Parivar for having posted a purportedly disparaging poem about Sabarimala on his account. The director subsequently deleted the poem.
BJP denies role in attack
The BJP has denied any role in the attack. Its spokesperson B. Gopalakrishnan told television journalists that the director could have stage-managed the attack to garner attention.
Mr. Gopalakrishnan said Mr. Priyanandan's Facebook post had hurt the religious feelings and the BJP had protested in front of his house. The party had also given a complaint to the police and sought the registration of a case against him.