BJP president Amit Shah today hit out at Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan over the mass arrests following the protest staged by ayyappa devotees at Sabarimala, saying that the men there were just trying to enforce the century-old religious belief.
"Today in Kerala a struggle is going on between religious beliefs and state government's cruelty. More than 2,000 activists and workers from BJP, RSS and other organisations have been arrested. BJP is standing like a rock with devotees, Left government be warned," he said while addressing a rally at Kannur in Kerala after inaugurating a party office in the city.
Across the state, 2,061 people have been arrested after Mr Vijayan ordered a crackdown on those defying the Supreme Court order on the entry of women in the Sabarimala temple. A total of 452 cases have been registered against 2,300 people.
The Supreme Court had on September 28 overturned a centuries-old practice that barred women of menstrual age (10-50 years) from entering the hill temple, where a celibate deity Lord Ayyappa is worshipped.
