Sabarimala violence: 1286 cases registered in Kerala, 3187 people arrested

Kerala police have cracked down on violent protestors in connection with Thursday’s hartal which was called after two women entered Sabarimala temple earlier this week.

Director General of Police Loknath Behera in a press release stated that, across the state, 1286 cases have been registered in connection with hartal related violence and over 37,000 persons have been named as accused. Out of this, 3178 arrests have been made, with 487 of them being remanded and 2691 others getting bail.

In Palakkad, which is one of the districts that witnessed the most amount of violence during the hartal, 166 cases have been registered with the police arresting 410 people and later granting bail to 326 of them (84 of them have been remanded to judicial custody).

In Kochi city and rural Ernakulam the number of cases registered are 32 and 48 respectively. While 236 arrests were made form the city, 250 were nabbed from rural Ernakulam. One of the arrested has been remanded to judicial custody in the city while 79 people have been remanded in rural Ernakulam.

The state capital of Thiruvananthapuram along with the rural areas saw heated protests during the hartal, with protestors targeting journalists. The police have registered 28 and 74 cases in Thiruvananthapuram city and rural respectively. While 44 arrests were made in the city, 98 of the accused were nabbed in the rural area.

In Thrissur and Kozhikode, 123 and 98 cases have been registered with 348 and 181 arrests recorded respectively from both city and rural areas.

In Pathanamthitta, where Sabarimala is situated, 77 cases have been registered against protestors and 110 arrests have been recorded. Of these, 85 have been granted bail while 25 were remanded to judicial custody.

In Kannur, a district that witnesses the most political violence, 169 cases were registered and 304 arrested in connection with the hartal violence that broke out on Thursday.

Other districts where cases have been registered are Kollam (City: 65 cases, 47 arrested, Rural: 46 cases, 70 arrested), Malappuram (47 cases,170 arrested), Alappuzha (80 cases, 328 arrested), Idukki (82 cases, 234 arrested), Wayanad (20 cases, 54 arrested), Kottayam (42 cases, 133 arrested), Kasaragod (89 cases, 161 arrested).

The state wide hartal called by the Sabarimala Karma Samithi against the entry of two women - Bindu and Kanakadurga - into the sanctum of the hill shrine witnessed several police clashes, lathi charges, attacks and confrontations between right wing protestors and CPI(M) and DYFI.