Sabarimala temple row: 1,369 arrested, 717 detained so far

The Kerala police have arrested 1369 and detained 717 under preventive measures till Friday morning in connection with the hartal-related violence in the state after the entry of two women of menstruating age in the Ayappa temple.

The accused also include two CPI(M) workers who were arrested earlier in the day in connection with the death of Sabarimala Karma Samiti worker, Chandran Unnithan, during a clash in Pandalam amidst Sabarimala row.

The police have registered 801 cases in connection with the violence that broke out after various organisations called for a state-wide shut down of shops and other establishments on Thursday to protest against the entry of the women.
 

Earlier on Wednesday, in an unprecedented incident, two Keralite women, Bindu and Kanakadurga, who are in their 40s, entered the temple premises and offered prayers at around 3:45 am on Wednesday. They were accompanied by police personnel.

On September 28 last year, a Constitution Bench the Supreme Court lifted a ban on the entry of women of all ages in the hilltop temple shrine of Sabarimala.