March over Sabarimala turns violent in Kerala

◗ BJP workers threw stones and hurled chairs at police personnel outside the state secretariat

Thiruvananthapuram, Dec. 10: The BJP’s “secretariat march” over the Sabarimala issue here on Monday turned violent, prompting police to use water cannon and tear gas to disperse the party workers. Protesting against the police action, the BJP has called for a dawn- to- dusk hartal in Thiruvananthapuram district on Tuesday.

The main Opposition Congress- led UDF, which continued to disrupt proceedings in the state Assembly for the sixth day, took out a march to the House later.

The BJP and the UDF marched separately, demanding the LDF government’s intervention to end the agitation by their respective leaders for withdrawal of the prohibitory orders around Sabarimala.

The BJP workers threw stones and hurled chairs at police personnel outside the state secretariat when the latter stopped them from proceeding further. The marches were held as part of intensifying protests over the Sabarimala issue. The protesters raised slogans demanding the government’s intervention to end the eight- day- old indefinite fast of BJP general secretary A. N. Radhakrishnan.

Subsequently, police used water cannon and tear gas to disperse the protesters. Protesting against the police action, BJP workers, led by general secretary Shobha Surendran and Thiruvana- nthapuram district president S. Suresh squatted on the road and raised slogans.

Radhakrishnan is on an indefinite fast in front of the secretariat building since December 3, demanding withdrawal of prohibitory orders.