In a massive police crackdown, as many as ten Hindu leaders who led the Sabarimala protests have been arrested in the evening. The police have arrested the leaders of Hindu Aikya Vedi, Sabarimala Karma Samiti and Achara Samrakshana Samiti from Pampa, the base camp of Sabarimala.
Among those arrested are Shri Prithvipal, convener of Sabarimala Achara Samrakshana Samiti and Brahmachari Bargavaram, General Secretary of Hindu Aikya Vedi. So far, there are no charges against them. Prithvipal and Brahmachari Bhargavaram were in the forefront of protests staged in Sabarimala against the state government’s haste in implementing the Supreme Court verdict, allowing women of all ages to visit Sabarimala temple.
The police told the media that the leaders were taken under preventive custody. Reportedly, more Hindu leaders will be taken into custody in the coming days as the temple opened today for Mandala puja and darshan for the next two months.
Meanwhile, the police stopped Smt K P Sasikala Teacher, the president of Hindu Aikya Vedi at Marakkoottam, which is only a few kilometres away from Sannidhanam, and did not allow her to proceed to the temple. She was scaling the holy hill, wearing ‘mala’ and carrying ‘Irumudi’, for darshan. The Sabarimala Karma Samiti has condemned the illegal arrests of Hindu leaders at the behest of the CPM led LDF government and the cheif minister.
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