The Nedumangad police in Thiruvananthapuram have identified the person who threw bombs at the Nedumangad Police Station on Thursday during the state-wide hartal called by the Sabarimala Karma Samithi on Thursday. Praveen, an RSS pracharak, was seen hurling bombs at the police station towards a group of policemen on CCTV footage. In the video, Praveen can be seen taking aim at the station and throwing multiple bombs he was carrying in a bag.
The hartal on Thursday had been called to protest against the entry of two women in their forties, Bindu and Kanaka Durga, who had entered Sabarimala temple early on Wednesday morning, as well as to mark the death of Sabarimala Karma Samithi worker Chandran Unnithan, who died in stone-pelting incident in Pandalam, which took place over the women’s temple entry issue.
Praveen is identified as an RSS worker from Nooranad in Alappuzha. Nedumangad police station officials told TNM that he had gone into hiding after the incident took place, and has not been arrested yet. The police are also looking to identify any individuals who might have accompanied or assisted Praveen.
Thursday’s hartal saw widespread violence and disruptions, with RSS-BJP and LDF workers clashing all over the state. A clash between CPI (M) and BJP workers took place near Nedumangad police station as well, while violent protests also took place in Thiruvananthapuram, Palakkad, Kozhikode, Kollam, Kasargode, Kannur, Vadakara, Mavelikkara and Thrissur.
The Vyapari Vyavasaaya Ekopana Samithi (VVES), a trade union of shopkeepers and traders, had initially decided to flout the hartal and keep shops open for business in most locations as part of their vow not observe hartals in 2019. They were soon forced to shut down following the attacks of BJP-RSS protesters at those locations.
Over 1,300 cases were registered by the Kerala police in hartal-related violence all over the state, and over 3,187 people have been arrested so far.