A hartal call across the state went unheeded as shops were seen open as usual and vehicles, including private buses, were plying without any hiccups as latest reports indicate.
A dawn-to-dusk hartal was announced by the Ayyappa Dharma Sena and the Hanuman Sena Bharat in Kerala on Monday to press for an ordinance to protect the traditional rites at Sabarimala Temple. Special prayers are being offered at various temples on Monday and essential services have been exempted from the hartal.
The exams scheduled by the Mahatma Gandhi University for Monday also remain unchanged. The private bus operators' association Kottayam district secretary K S Suresh had said on Sunday that private buseswill conduct services as usual. KSRTC buses will ply according to their normal schedule, said the traffic officer of central zone. All shops will remain open, informed Vyapari Vyavasayi Ekopana Samithi office-bearers.
Meanwhile, the supporters of the hartal distributed pamphlets in a theatre in Thrissur on Sunday night seeking support. The owner of the theatre has filed a complaint to the police against the distribution of the pamphlets issued by the organisation Haindava Samghadana Vedi Keralam.
Also read: Sabarimala row: Hindu outfits call for hartal in Kerala
RSS has also said that it would not cooperate with the hartal and asked the government to conduct a probe to identify the real organisers of the hartal. “RSS is not involved in the development. Some bodies have given the call claiming to represent Hindus,” said Pranthakaryavahak P Gopalankutty. “The issue of women's entry at Sabarimala Temple should not be taken to the streets. It is now before the Supreme Court. A consensus over the issue can be reached by creating awareness among the devotees,” he said.
Hindu Aikyavedi state general secretary E S Biju also said his organisation does not back the hartal.
The hearing in the controversial issue of whether women of menstrual age group should be allowed to enter the temple or not has been on in the apex court for the past few days. The outfits called for the stir, demanding that the state government rectify its stance in the Supreme Court by favouring entry of women of all age groups at the hill shrine of Sabarimala.
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