Thiruvananthapuram: As many as 3,346 people, who were protesting the entry of women of all age groups to the Sabarimala temple, have been arrested since since October 26 while 517 cases have been registered at various police stations across Kerala, authorities said on Sunday.
In the past 12 hours, over 500 arrests were recorded at police stations in Pathanamthitta district - where the Lord Ayyappa temple is located - as well as in Thiruvananthapuram, Kozhikode and Ernakulam.
So far only 122 are in remand, while others have been released on bail.
On Sunday morning, Sabarimala tantri family member and activist Rahul Eashwar was arrested. Eashwar was arrested after the police received a complaint stating that he had made provocative remarks over the issue at a press conference in Kochi last week.
These arrests have been made for defying the September 28 Supreme Court order that overturned a ban on women of child-bearing age (10-50 years) from entering the hilltop temple.
However, Kerala Police chief Loknath Behera has directed that no one who participated in the Namajapayatra (protest march while chanting hymns) should be arrested.
The Sabarimala temple, which opened for monthly puja on October 17 for the first time after the SC order, has been witnessing a stand-off over the issue with angry devotees preventing at least a dozen women in the 'barred' age group from entering the shrine.
Defending the arrests, CPM state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan on Sunday told media that this was routine police action when the rule of law was breached.
"During the previous Congress-led UDF rule, over four lakh cases were registered against our workers. Is it not natural for the police to act when rules are broken?" asked Kodiyeri.
