Sabarimala temple: 12-hour hartal has been called by Hindu outfits in Kerala

Sabarimala highlights: BJP worker dies in Kerala violence; 745 arrested Reports say that at least 745 people were arrested till Thursday evening, while 628 people were taken into custody as a precaution

Kochi: BJP activists stage a protest march against the entry of two women of menstruating age into the Sabarimala temple of Lord Ayyappa, in Kochi

Current Affairs : A dawn-to-dusk Kerala shutdown called to denounce the visit of two women to the Sabarimala temple saw major violence on Thursday, a rarity compared to the regular strikes the state witnesses from time to time.

The Sabarimala Karma Samithi (SKS), which had the backing of the BJP and RSS, said it called the protest to oppose the role of the Kerala government which facilitated the entry of the two women inside the temple before dawn on Wednesday.

What began as minor skirmishes at various places between the strike organisers and its opponents aggravated during the day as more than 300 protesters were arrested, with nearly 100 people, including police officials, getting injured in the violence.

The worst affected districts included Thiruvananthapuram, Thrissur, Palakkad, Kozhikode, Malappuram, Kasargode and Kannur.

A number of CPI-M offices came under attack. In several places in the suburbs of the state capital, it was a free for all as...read more

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