Kerala: 2 CPM workers arrested over death of Sabarimala Karma Samiti worker in Pandalam; 3 SDPI activists held for violence

Two Communist Party of India (Marxist) workers on Friday were arrested over the death of Chandran Unnithan, a Sabarimala Karma Samithi activist, on Wednesday night. According to reports, they have been booked under Sections 302 and 3017 of the IPC and have been identified as Akhil and Nikhil.

CNN-News18 also reported that police sources said the stones pelted during the protest came from the direction of the local CPM office. The 55-year-old Sabarimala Karma Samiti worker, who was injured on Wednesday in a clash between CPM and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers in Pandalam, late on Wednesday succumbed to his injuries.

The report also said that three SDPI activists were arrested by Thrissur Police in connection with the attack on BJP workers. The BJP workers, who were allegedly trying to forcefully shut down the hotel of the accused in compliance with the hartal called for on Thursday, were stabbed by the SDPI activists. CNN-News18 reported that the accused were charged with non-bailable sections of the IPC, including attempt to murder.

#NewsAlert -- Thrissur police arrests 3 SDPI workers in connection with the attack on BJP workers yesterday. | @Neethureghu with more details #SabarimalaPolitics pic.twitter.com/RsneD6Ut0M

— News18 (@CNNnews18) January 4, 2019

Unnithan was participating in a march organised by the Sangh Parivar-backed Samiti, and suffered head injuries after being allegedly hit by a stone during the clash.

Karma Samithi convenor SJR Kumar said the attack was “pre-planned”. The CPM workers had stocked stones and metal pieces in the second floor of their office in advance. On Thursday, the police had arrested 745 people and had taken 628 into custody for hartal-related violence.

The clash in Pandalam was one of many violent protests that erupted across Kerala on Wednesday, which came about after two women in their forties reportedly offered prayers at the Sabarimala temple. The two women entered the shrine , which has traditionally been off-limits for women of menstrual age for decades, on the intervening night of 1 and 2 January. Identified as Bindu and Kanakadurga, the women began the trek to the temple at midnight with police escorts and reached the sanctum sanctorum of the shrine at 3.45 am, reports said.

After Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan confirmed the news of the women entering the shrine on Wednesday morning, the temple complex was shut till 11.30 am. According to reports, a “purification ritual” was conducted at the temple during that time.

Meanwhile, the Sabarimala Karma Samithi, an umbrella organisation of various pro-Hindutva groups, spearheading protests against the Supreme Court’s 28 September verdict, and the Antarrashtriya Hindu Parishad (AHP) have both called for a 12-hour hartal in the state  on Thursday. The BJP is supporting the shutdown while the Congress-led UDF is observing a “black day” on Thursday.

As per initial reports, auto-rickshaws and two-wheelers were plying at the railway station in the state capital and various other places. But in Kozhikode, protesters blocked vehicles and burnt tyres in the morning.

Merchants’ organisations have said they would not cooperate with the hartal and keep shops and business establishments open.

State DGP Loknath Behara has  warned of strict action  against those indulging in violence during the hartal. Various universities, including Kerala, Mahatma Gandhi, Calicut and Kannur have postponed their examinations scheduled for Thursday.