A television journalist in Kerala has received death threats for the title of his short documentary, Thendigalude Daivam or God of Beggars, on an ancient temple that shelters the aged and destitute.

The "hundreds of calls", coming weeks after the murder of anti-Hindutva journalist Gauri Lankesh in Bangalore, has prompted the documentary's producer and anchor Biju Muthathi to lodge a written complaint with the state police chief.

One of the Sangh parivar outfits that has been protesting against the documentary's title is the Hindu Aikyavedi, whose president K.P. Sasikala was recently accused of telling "progressive writers" to conduct a ritual to avoid becoming "the next Gauri".