Sabarimala Arrests: Don?t play to the gallery; Government will have to pay heavy price if it arrests innocents, Kerala High Court Warns CPM Government

In a major setback to the CPM, Kerala High Court lashed out at the Kerala Government over the brutal police crackdown against the Ayyappa devotees and Hindu activists following the Sabarimala protests. Kerala High Court, while considering the petition against the police atrocities on devotees, today warned the state government that it will have to pay a heavy price if it arrests innocent people. The court also directed the government that the arrests should be made only after thorough investigation.

The Government should not play to the gallery. The Sabarimala issue should be carefully handled, the court stated. The Kerala High Court also sought a detailed report from the Kerala Government on the police action in Sabarimala and also directed the government to submit it on Monday. In a state-wide police crackdown, more than 1400 Ayyappa devotees have been taken into the custody so far.

Earlier, there were allegations that the CPM Government was playing politics in the Sabarimala issue to appease minorities in Kerala.

Later, admitting the charges that CPM is playing politics over the Sabarimala issue, CPM politburo member S Ramachandran Pillai termed it as an ideological battle and said that the issue will take the party to new sections of the society. “The Party is confident that the ideological battle on this issue will provide new opportunities for the Party and the Left to reach newer sections. The present challenges will provide new opportunities for the Left to advance,” Ramachandran Pillai wrote in an article published in the CPM mouthpiece Peoples’ Democracy.