The State police on Friday pressed on with their mass arrests in what appeared to be a calibrated response to the mob violence that marked the opening of the Sabarimala temple for monthly puja in the third week of October.
The State-wide round-ups and detentions overwhelmingly targeted Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) activists in 14 districts. So far, the police have arrested 2,061 persons and registered 452 cases. In many cases, they arrested the accused from their houses, leading to acrimonious tussles. There were also night-time arrests.
Main charges
The main charges against the suspects include attacking police officers, violating the Supreme Court order allowing the entry of women of all age groups to Sabarimala, attacking women pilgrims and journalists, vandalising government property and breaking prohibitory orders.
A bulk of the cases involved instances of violence and destruction of public property on October 18. Hindutva organisations had called a general strike on that day with the support of the BJP.
The violence was reported mainly from Pathanamthitta, Kollam, Palakkad and Malappuram districts. Hartal supporters damaged 32 Kerala State Road Transport Corporation buses, according to an official estimate.
The BJP and RSS termed the police action politically motivated. They said the Pinarayi Vijayan government was using strong-arm tactics to stifle opposition. Several pliable police officers were complicit in the conspiracy to deter BJP-RSS activists. The BJP staged a protest march in front of the office of the District Police Chief in Pathanamthitta.
Meanwhile, State Police Chief Loknath Behera told television journalists that he had formed a special committee to cobble together a plan to escort women pilgrims to the sanctum without being deterred en route by unruly elements.
