Sabarimala > Activists of the BJP, Yuva Morcha and other right-wing outfits came out with provocative protests across the state, including in front of the official residence of the chief minister, against the late night police action at the Ayyappa temple complex here and the subsequent detention of 69 protestors for violating security restrictions at Sannidhanam. The ones who were leading the protest at Sannidhanam disguised as devotees were later identified as RSS district level leaders.
R Rajesh, who spoke to media as an Ayyappa Devotee with no political affiliation was later exposed after Social Media came out with dtails proving him to be an RSS leader from Perumbavoor, Ernakulam. He has been working as the convenor of Sabarimala Karma Samithy-an outfit controlled by Sangh Parivar- in addition to several positions in RSS.
The activists also took out a marches to various police stations across the state and to the state secretariat in Thirvananthapuram. Police sources confirmed that 68 people had been taken into preventive custody from the temple and brought to the Maniyar camp early Monday morning.
Caught unawares by the showdown on the second day of the two-month long pilgrim season, the police officials asked the protestors to disperse. When they refused, the security force took 69 of them into custody early Monday morning, the first such incident witnessed at Sabarimala.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan made it clear that the Left government is with the believers. At a function in Kozhikode, he said those arrested were not Ayyappa devotees. "They were not Ayyappa devotees. RSS workers were camping at Sannidhanam with a motive to create trouble. The government cannot let anyone create trouble at Sabarimala," Pinarayi Vijayan said at the state conference of the Kerala Union of Working Journalists (KUWJ).
CPI(M) state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan alleged the RSS had launched "Khalistan model" agitation in Sabarimala to take control of the holy hill shrine.
Kerala Devaswom Minister Kadakampally Surendran, hitting back at Union Minister Alphonse Kannanthanam's claims of allotting 100 Cr for development of Sabarimala, said the Union Tourism Ministry had in 2016 sanctioned Rs 99.98 crore for spiritual circuit project for the development of Sabarimala, of which only Rs 18 crore had been released so far.
Meanwhile, five Yuva Morcha activists waved party flags and two of them tried to jump in front of the chief minister's convoy Monday morning. Two of them have been arrested, Kozhikode district police chief S Kaliraj Mahesh Kumar told PTI.
In another development, Hindu Aikya Vedi president K P Sasikala, who came to visit Sabarimala was served a notice by Superintendent of Police Yatish Chandra at Nilackal Monday morning, informing her that she could remain at the 'Sannidhanam' only for six hours. She had been taken into preventive custody from near the temple premises two days ago for flouting police regulations and had been released after being produced before the magistrate.
BJP state general secretary K Surendran was also arrested from Nilackal on Saturday, after he refused to heed the police plea not to go to the hill shrine at night.
Some people raising slogans had gathered at the covered pathway to the temple and had refused to disperse even after the shrine closed at 11 pm. Since prohibitory orders had been imposed, the police informed them that they should leave and they cannot stay back. Police sources said they had information that the protesters might create trouble at Sannidhanam and they took the precautionary measures accordingly.
The temple had opened on Friday evening for the 64-day annual pilgrimage season, even as the stand-off continued over the entry of menstrual age women into the shrine following a Supreme Court order on September 28.
(With inputs from PTI)
