Kerala Police arrest 1,400 for Sabarimala violence

Read | Sabarimala row: Kerala Police release photos of 210 suspects for violence during protest

The action is meant to prevent another bout of protest when the hill shrine opens for a two-month-long festival in the second week of November. The temple will also be opened for a one-day ritual next week.

Special teams would be formed to identify the suspects, police said.

Police had recently released an album of 210 people allegedly involved in violent incidents at Sabarimala and nearby base camps of Pamba and Nilakkal. “More albums will be released in the coming days to identify the protesters, who have manhandled women journalists and damaged public property, including vehicles. So far, 1,400 people have been arrested across Kerala,’’ said Pathanamthitta district police superintendent T Narayanan.

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A total of 250 cases have been registered, the SP said. Fifty of them are in Pathanamthitta district, where the hill shrine is located. “Our teams have gone to all districts to detain the accused. Of 152 people arrested in the district, 80 have been charged with non-bailable offences,” he said.

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Pointing out that the photograph of a police officer named Ibrahim was included in the album of 210 suspects, BJP state general secretary M T Ramesh said, “The presence of a policeman in the list of suspects substantiates our claim. Policemen deliberately created trouble to spoil the peaceful protest of Ayyappa devotees.” The BJP had earlier accused policemen of sneaking in with protesters to create trouble.

With many Sangh Parivar men being arrested in Kerala, state BJP president P S Sreedharan Pillai said the action reminded him of Emergency days. “Ayyappa devotees are being arrested and charged with non-bailable offences. This is illegal. We will approach court for relief,” he said.