Sridhar Vembu, co-founder and chief scientist of Indian software company Zoho, participated in a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh route march in Sankarankovil, Tamil Nadu, on November 1, alongside BJP functionaries.
The march was part of the second phase of RSS processions held across several districts to mark the organisation's centenary year. Vembu walked alongside local BJP office-bearers and district functionaries in Sankarankovil in the Tenkasi district, photographs shared by a BJP functionary on X showed.
The second phase of processions on November 1 were held in districts including Tenkasi, Coimbatore, Tiruchirappalli, Madurai, Perambalur, Theni, Dindigul, Tiruppur, Sivaganga and Kanyakumari. Former Union Minister of State L Murugan also participated in a procession in Coimbatore, while more than 500 people reportedly took part in the march in Tiruchirappalli.
The marches followed a Madras High Court order on October 25 and November 1 allowing the RSS to conduct route marches, subject to conditions and local police requirements. The High Court on October 16 disposed of a petition after the state government told it that permission would be granted for the marches. Justice V Lakshminarayanan also directed the police to consider future applications in accordance with guidelines laid down in earlier cases and not delay decisions on them.
The RSS had approached the court after police denied permission for route marches in the state. The RSS state secretary for north Tamil Nadu, V G Jagadeesan, had said the organisation had faced such restrictions since 2022.
Vembu's participation comes months after he posted on X in July that a Marxist teacher had influenced him during his school years, turning him into a Marxist and atheist at age 14, despite studying at a school funded by an RSS-affiliated individual. He described the experience as being "brainwashed" by the teacher.
