Sabarimala row: Clashes across Kerala, over 100 injured

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A day after two women below 50 created history by entering Sabarimala temple, there was widespread violence in several parts of Kerala, as BJPSangh Parivar workers seeking to enforce a 12-hour dawnto-dusk hartal on Thursday clashed with police and activists of rival parties.

The scale and intensity of the violence prompted Governor P Sathasivam to seek a report on law and order from chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan. More than 100 people, including 21 police officers, were injured in the violence. Three BJP workers were stabbed in Vadanappilli, Thrissur, in a clash with activists belonging to Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), the political front of Popular Front of India, a militant Islamist outfit.

The protests turned violent after one of the protesters, Chandran Unnithan, 55, an active worker of Sabarimala Karma Samithi, succumbed to injuries sustained in stone pelting by CPM workers late on Wednesday night at Pandalam. The chief minister tried to pass off the death as a result of cardiac arrest, but the preliminary postmortem report indicated a deep head wound and excessive bleeding from it. Three DYFI workers, Kannan (29), Aju (22) and Harish (19), have been arrested.

Prohibitory orders have been imposed in Palakkad municipality area from 12 midnight to 6pm on Friday under Section 144 CrPC.

It was the fifth hartal in the state in less than 50 days since the Sabarimala temple opened for the annual pilgrimage season on November 16. In various places, police used batons and water cannons to disperse protesters armed with sticks and brickbats. Around 750 people were arrested and 559 cases registered related to the violent incidents. Around 100 state transport corporation buses were damaged by protesters, with the total loss suffered by KSTRC on Thursday estimated at Rs 3.35 crore.

The worst affected districts were Thiruvananthapuram, Thrissur, Palakkad, Kozhikode, Malappuram, Kasargode and Kannur. Most shops and business establishments remained closed across the state, though in places like Kollam and Kozhikode traders’ organisations physically resisted attempts by protesters to shut down their establishments.

In major cities and towns, state-run buses kept off the roads and there were few private vehicles on the main roads. “It’s politically created violence and an attempt to sabotage the SC verdict. The government cannot tolerate violence in any form and has to take stern action against it,” Pinarayi Vijayan said.

Leader of opposition and senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala said violence was bound to happen “when senseless people rule the state”. “Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan is solely responsible for what is happening here. He has created the platform for the Sangh Parivar forces to go berserk and create mayhem…” he said. The Congress observed a ‘black day’ on Thursday.

BJP state president P S Sreedharan Pillai said the widespread protests were the natural expression of anger by hurt believers. State RSS chief, P E B Menon said the only solution to the present unrest was for the Centre to come out with an ordinance on Sabarimala temple entry.

In some places, journalists too were targeted by the protesters. A protest march was held in the state capital later in the day by journalists. The state's police chief Loknath Behera said a special team will probe the assault on media persons.

CPM offices at several places including Pattazhi and Padinjare Kallada, at Kollam, Palakkad and Karivannoor in Idukki were attacked. The office of CPI in Palakkad was also attacked. BJP activists attacked various government offices.

In Kolassery under Thalassery police station limits, bombs were hurled at the BJP office but no one sustained injuries. Bombs were also hurled on a shop owned by a CPM activist at Thalassery, which did not explode. Bombs were hurled at a CPM rally at Nedumangad in the capital by two pro-hartal activists who came in a bike with faces covered, but no one was injured. CPI-M offices were pelted with stones in Ernakulam and Malappuram districts, while a library managed by the party in Palakkad was also vandalised.