Around 4.45 pm on Monday evening, BJP State General Secretary AN Radhakrishnan was shifted by police to the Medical College Hospital in Thiruvananthapuram from the Secretariat, where he had been on the eighth day of the BJP’s relay hunger strike. The relay hunger strike, which was launched on December 3, is being by the BJP to protest the imposition of curfew under section 144 at Sabarimala and surrounding areas, and the alleged mistreatment of Kerala BJP leaders like K Surendran, who was arrested from Sabarimala on November 17, and released from judicial custody on Saturday.
AN Radhakrishnan upon announcement of BJP's relay hunger strike on 3 December
BJP Kerala General Secretary MT Ramesh told TNM that a government medical team had conducted a medical checkup on AN Radhakrishnan on Monday evening, and concluded that his condition was critical, following which he was shifted to the Medical College Hospital.
Ramesh also said that the BJP’s relay hunger strike will continue. Former BJP State President CK Padmanabhan has begun his hunger strike outside the Secretariat, now that AN Radhakrishnan has been shifted to the hospital.
The Secretariat was the site of high drama on Monday as the morning witnessed a 400 to 500-member strong protest by BJP and Yuva Morcha workers, according to the Cantonment police. The protesters were dispersed by the police with the use of tear gas and water guns. The group had taken out a protest outside Secretariat against the government’s handling of the Sabarimala temple women’s entry issue, and in support of AN Radhakrishnan on his hunger strike; it turned violent when protesters attempted to enter the Secretariat.
The BJP has called for a city-wide hartal in Thiruvananthapuram to protest the government’s allegedly high-handed treatment of protesters, especially women protesters, at Secretariat on Monday morning.