Rahul Easwar stopped at Nilakkal, says will return to Sabarimala

Police stop Rahul Easwar at Nilakkal
Holding out the Ranni court's order, Rahul Easwar said the court did not bar him from going to Sabarimala.

Nilakkal: The Kerala Police on Saturday stopped Ayyappa Dharma Sena president Rahul Easwar at Nilakkal, the base camp of Sabarimala.

"The police said they will take me into custody, if needed," said Rahul, who is out on bail after being arrested for holding protests at Sabarimala.

"The cops are telling me that I can proceed to Sabarimala only after getting a court order," the activist told reporters after holding talks with the police.

Holding out the Ranni court's order, Rahul pointed out that he was only asked to report at Pamba police station. "The court did not bar me from going to Sabarimala," he added.

“The police are creating a tense atmosphere for devotees. This is a serious human rights violation," he said, adding that no doubt some people are terming this as 'Police Raj'.

Rahul further said that he would approach the Kerala High Court against the police instruction and return to Sabarimala.

Rahul was arrested on October 17 when the Sabarimala temple opened for the first time after the Supreme Court allowed women of all age groups to enter the hill shrine.

The court granted conditional bail to him on October 23. He was again arrested on October 28 for making provocative statements.

At a press meet in Kochi, he said he had a contingency plan to force the closure of the temple by spilling blood on its premises by some devotees in case any woman in the 'barred' age group of 10-50 managed to reach it. He was granted bail later in the day.

The Sabarimala temple and nearby areas had witnessed frenzied protests after the LDF government tried to implement the SC verdict.

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