Palakkad: The Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) has vowed to intensify protests following an attack on a children’s carol group in Kaladithara.

The assault was carried out by RSS worker Ashwin Raj, who allegedly arrived intoxicated and targeted a carol team that included children under 15. In response, DYFI announced that  carols in protest will be held across 2,500 units in the district.

Meanwhile, BJP leader C Krishnakumar’s comments, which appeared to justify the attack, have drawn strong criticism. He claimed the children were drinking and described the group as a criminal team that had taken a band set from the CPM area committee. Krishnakumar further alleged that they deliberately went to create conflict in the area of slain RSS worker Ratheesh.

Krishnakumar’s remarks have provoked widespread outrage. DYFI accused him of exposing his communal bias and criticised the comments as insulting to children.

The Congress party, on the other hand, alleged that the attack was a retaliation by the BJP as it failed to gain support from the Christian community and described it as a deliberate attempt to disturb communal harmony.

Meanwhile, police confirmed that the accused has a history of multiple cases and legal actions. The official report stated he was intoxicated while attempting to harass the children.