BJP-called shutdown hits Kerala

A dawn-to-dusk shutdown called by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to protest against the death of a man said to be a Sabarimala devotee affected normal life in the state yesterday.

The 50-year-old set himself on fire at a BJP protest venue on Thursday and succumbed to his injuries in a hospital here. But in his dying declaration, he made no mention of the Sabarimala temple. Most shops, business establishments, educational institutions in the state were closed but private vehicles plied. (IANS)