Tharoor suffers injuries while performing rituals at Kerala temple

Tharoor was performing Thulabharam at a Devi temple in Thiruvananthapuram

Congress leader Sashi Tharoor Monday suffered head injuries when the hook of a weighing scale came off and hit his head while performing 'thulabharam' ritual at a temple here.

According to party sources, Tharoor, who is aiming for a hat-trick from Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha constituency, sustained injuries on his head, which required six stitches.

The 63-year old MP also suffered a minor leg injury in the incident which occurred at a Devi temple here.

'Thulabharam' is a Hindu ritual in which a person is weighed against a commodity such as flowers, grains, fruits and similar articles in temples and the equal value or quantity is offered as donation.

Monday being the Malayalam new year day ('Vishu'), Tharoor performed the ritual by offering sugar equal to his weight in the morning before embarking on his poll campaign.

He was accompanied by his family members and party leaders and workers including MLA, V S Sivakumar.

While he was sitting on one of the pans of the weighing scale, the hook came off and fell on his head, the party sources added.

He was taken to Trivandrum Medical College hospital for detailed examination, the sources said.

Television channels showed the former union minister getting into a car with a bandaged head and waving to onlookers wearing a blood-stained kurta.