Kerala BJP protests leader’s arrest

Surendran taken into custody following bid to reach Sabarimala

The Kerala unit of the BJP held a protest yesterday by blocking highways across the state after the arrest and subsequent remand of senior party leader K. Surendran.

Surendran was taken into custody on Saturday night after he got into a scuffle with the police while attempting to go to the Sabarimala temple, despite a police cordon in the area.

After spending the night at Chittar police station, Surendran was produced before a magistrate near here yesterday morning, which remanded him to a 14-day judicial custody.

The BJP leader is currently at the Kottarakara sub-jail.

‘I am no criminal’

Surendran, who spoke to the media before being remanded, said: “The police have charged me under non-bailable sections. I am no criminal, nor do I have any cases against me. They did not let me sleep, nor was I allowed water or to take my medicines.”

Reacting to the incident, state BJP President P.S. Sreedharan Pillai told the media that Kerala was under “jungle raj”.

“Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan is arrogant and behaving in an irrational manner. The present impasse in the state over the Sabarimala issue is his creation. We will resist it.”

BJP leaders and activists started to block traffic across the state on the highways from 10am.

According to new police rules that came into effect from Friday, no pilgrim is allowed to proceed to the temple after 7pm, as the temple closes for the day at 10pm. The temple opened its doors at 5pm on Friday, for a duration of two months.