The Kerala unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party observed a protest yesterday by blocking highways across the state following the arrest and the subsequent remand of senior party leader.
K Surendran was taken into custody on Saturday night after he got into a scuffle with police while attempting to go to the Sabarimala temple despite a police cordon in the area.
After spending the night at Chittar police station, Surendran was produced before a magistrate near here yesterday morning which remanded him in a 14-day judicial custody. The BJP leader is currently at the Kottarakara sub-jail.
Surendran who spoke to the media before being remanded said: “The police have charged me under non-bailable sections. I am no criminal, nor do I have any cases against me. They did not let me sleep, nor was I allowed water or to take my medicines.
“The police even roughed up my ‘Irumudi kettu’ (a mandatory holy kit to be taken to the temple).”
In reaction to the development, state BJP president P S Sreedharan Pillai told the media that Kerala was under “jungle raj”.
“Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan is arrogant and was behaving in an irrational manner. The present impasse in the state over the Sabarimala issue is his creation. We will strongly resist.”
BJP leaders and activists started blocking traffic across the state on the highways since 10am.
According to new police rules that came into effect on Friday, no pilgrim is allowed to go to the temple after 7pm as the shrine closes for the day at 10pm.
The temple opened its doors at 5pm on Friday for two months.
The temple town has witnessed protests by Hindu groups since the September 28 when the Supreme Court allowed women of all ages to enter the shrine .
The court last week refused to stay its verdict.
Surendran and his party have been up in arms against the Vijayan government, which according to them, is determined to see that a woman in the hitherto “banned” age group is allowed to visit the temple and they have vowed that the traditions will not be breached.
The BJP and right-wing forces have decided to strengthen their presence in and around the temple town and have asked its cadres to arrive as pilgrims.
On Saturday, the police arrested Hindu Iykavedi president and senior BJP leader K P Sasikala.
She was detained while proceeding towards the shrine. She was produced before a local court and got bail. Meanwhile, federal minister K J Alphons is visiting Sabarimala to study the facilities meant for the pilgrims.
Alphons told IANS that he will reach the Pamba base camp at 9am today.
“I had visited the temple town two months back and found out that it was in a pretty bad shape due to the floods. I had suggested that a lot of things had to be done to make it fit for a smooth pilgrimage,” he said.
He said he had come to know that the facilities were not up to the mark. Alphons said the arrests was “totally unwarranted and undemocratic”.
“The Kerala government should show restraint in handling the Sabarimala issue and it should not be forgotten that a government is elected only for five years and not for a life time,” he noted in his Facebook page.