Kottayam witnessed sporadic incidents of protests following the visit of a group of women pilgrims to Sabarimala on Sunday.
The episode began to unfold early in the day with the BJP activists taking out a march to the railway station, following reports that the women pilgrims would be reaching here by train.
A posse of police led by the Deputy Police Superintendent R. Sreekumar had already been positioned on the premises, making the station out-of-bounds for the protesters.
The police stopped the protesters a few hundred metres away and soon an argument broke out between the two sides. The confrontation lasted about 15 minutes and the crowd dispersed.
The tension, however, refused to subside with inter-State trains coming in at regular intervals. The police, who conducted inspections at the platforms each time, also examined a few women on suspicion.
The wait at the station continued for about five hours and the police could heave a sigh of relief only after the Chennai-Thiruvananthapuram Mail left the station around 9 a.m.
Alternative route
Earlier in the day, the police resorted to a minor lathicharge at Vandanpathal, near Mundakkayam, when a group of right-wing activists attempted to block the vehicle carrying women pilgrims. The group, escorted by the police, had earlier witnessed similar protests at Kumily and Kattappana. On reaching Mundakkayam, the group took an alternative route through Vandanpathal to avoid Erumely town but was intercepted by the protesters waiting at Vandanpathal.
The eastern parts of the district had remained under a thick security cover since Saturday evening following reports about the women pilgrims’ group moving across the region. Similarly, protests erupted at Poovarani, near Pala, when the BJP activists blocked the car on which Ammini, a Wayanad-based activist, in the morning.
After the police forcibly removed the protesters, she continued her journey till Erumely. “On reaching Erumely Town, she was immediately shifted to the police station and was apprised of the violent situation at Pampa. Though a bit hesitant initially, Ammini changed her mind and decided to return,” said a top police officer in Erumeli.
Meanwhile, a huge number of BJP activists thronged the station in protest against the woman activist. The police, however, helped Ammini return safely. Later in the evening, she lodged a complaint with the District Police Chief, Kottayam, against the protesters.
BJP march
BJP workers and activists of the Sabarimala Karma Samiti took out a march to the Cliff House, the official residence of the Chief Minister to protest against the attempt by the women from Tamil Nadu to enter the Sabarimala temple.
The protesters squatted on the road chanting hymns after they were blocked by the police some distance away from the entry to the building.
BJP workers also staged a protest before the shamiana in front of the Secretariat where party leader Shobha Surendran is on an indefinite hunger strike.