Activist Easwar Rahul arrested for promoting religious enmity

Activist Rahul Easwar was on Sunday taken into custody for allegedly promoting enmity between groups on religious grounds.

The Kerala Police arrested Easwar under Section 153 (promoting enmity between groups on grounds of religion) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

Earlier also Easwar had sparked controversy by his alleged remarks that people were willing to spill blood inside the Sabarimala Temple to close it down.

He had apparently said, 'there were people ready to make wounds in their hand and spill blood in temple so that temple has to be closed down'.

Easwar, who was helming the protests against women's entry inside the Sabarimala Temple, was previously arrested on October 17 from Nilakkal base camp and granted bail by a local court on October 22.

When Sabarimala Temple had opened for public on September 17, Easwar had said that the believers of the old age tradition would stage a peaceful protest to stop women from entering the temple premises.

However, the protest later turned violent. Protesters also blocked and attacked journalists covering the incident.