The district Congress committee observed a black day and staged a protest at Mananchira here on Thursday evening, claiming that the Left Democratic Front government had hurt the sentiments of devotees by allowing entry of two women into the Sabarimala temple. The party condemned the orgy of violence across the State unleashed by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the BJP in the name of protests against the women’s entry.

The Congress activists objected to the destruction of around a dozen shops in the city by alleged Sangh Parivar activists as part of the hartal called by the Sabarimala Karma Samiti in the morning. Opening the protest, T. Siddique, DCC president, accused Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan of using “activists” to break the customs at the temple in a bid to destroy its sanctity. He alleged that Mr. Vijayan had “secretly planned the operation” to ensure the entry of women into the temple. Mr. Siddique alleged that the Chief Minister was indirectly helping the RSS and the BJP.

Mr. Siddique alleged that the police failed to ensure protection to the shop owners on S.M. Street, who had dared to open shops defying the hartal call of the samiti. He also claimed that the police let off one of the miscreants who destroyed the shops even after the shop owners identified him. Activists of the Democratic Youth Federation of India, who claimed to protect the shops, had run away too, he alleged. Congress activists staged a similar protest at Vadakara.