Amid tight security, thousands of pilgrims offered prayers at the Lord Ayyappa shrine in Sabarimala on November 17, the first day of Malayalam month ‘Vrischikom’, even as a hartal against the preventive detention of a right wing woman leader caught devotees unawares and disrupted life in Kerala.

The Travancore Devaswom Board, which manages the shrine, said it would move the Supreme Court on Monday seeking more time to implement the apex court order allowing women of all age groups to pray at the temple.

The Hindu Aikya Vedi and Sabarimala Karma Samithi had called a dawn-to-dusk flash hartal across Kerala to protest the arrest of Vedi president K.P. Sasikala in Pathanamthitta the previous night.

The two organisations are spearheading the protests against the Supreme Court verdict.

Here are the updates:

BJP leader Surendran taken into preventive custody

The Kerala Police took BJP leader K. Surendran into preventive custody after he attempted to enter Sabarimala through the checkpost at Nilackal, the base camp 26 km downhill from the forest shrine.

A police team, led by S.P. Yatish Chanda, hustled him away in a patrol van to the district police headquarters at Pathanamthitta at 7.20 p.m. An officer said the police would book him for defying prohibitory orders at Nilackal and attempting to upset peace.

They would also subject him to a medical examination before presenting himself before a magistrate court. Mr. Surendran’s arrest is likely to trigger protests in Kerala on November 18. The arrest of Ms. Sasikala at Sabarimala early on November 17 had prompted the hartal call on Saturday.

His arrest came after a 20-minute tense standoff with the police. Officers prevented Mr. Surendran and six of his associates from proceeding to Pampa and from there to the sanctum. Mr Surendran rebuffed the request of the police to discuss his demand at the nearby control room.

Mr. Surendran argued that he was there as an ordinary pilgrim and not as a protester. However, law enforcers did not heed his words and arrested him on the spot. Mr. Surendran’s associates chanted Ayyappa slogans and courted arrest with minimal resistance.

Detained religious leaders let off on bail

IANS reports:

Religious leaders who were taken into preventive detention from the Sabarimala temple premises late on November 16 were granted bail on November 17.

The most prominent among the detained — Ms. Sasikala, who was produced before the sub-divisional magistrate at Thiruvalla on November 17 — said she would proceed to pray at the temple.

When Ms. Sasikala was brought to the Ranni Police Station, more than a thousand of her supporters cordoned off the police station and chanted Lord Ayyappa hymns while conciliation talks were on.

Ms. Sasikala was initially offered bail by the police which she refused and demanded to be produced before a magistrate. She also demanded that she be taken back to the place from where she was detained.

Just before she was taken to the magistrate, she addressed her supporters: “It was because of your support that I am now out and after presenting myself before the magistrate I will go to Sabarimala temple and pray. I was taken into custody for no reason as I came to the temple to offer prayers as any devout pilgrim would do,” she said.

Police told the media that they have powers vested with them to take anyone into preventive custody if they feel it would help to defuse tense situations.

Tense situation in Kottayam

Public transport, including private buses and autorickshaws, stayed off the road, putting the commuters to immense hardship. The KSRTC did not operate services either except its Sabarimala specials even as the number of pilgrims were much less than usual.

A tense situation prevailed in the region as protesters converged on streets as early as 7.30 a.m. They also organised a march to the office of the district police chief , located near the District Collector Office.

The hartal had only a partial impact in Erumeli Town, regarded as the gateway of Sabarimala, with the KSRTC operating all Sabarimala services. However, private buses were forced to withdraw their operations and only shops catering to the pilgrims functioned during the day.

Aikya Vedi declares hartal at 4 a.m.

The Hindu Aikya Vedi declared the hartal at 4 a.m. The BJP extended its support at the last minute.

Tense situations prevailed, with the BJP and Hindu Aikya Vedi protesters holding almost simultaneous marches to various district police headquarters to protest Ms. Sasikala’s arrest.

In Thiruvananthapuram, police blocked a BJP protest march near the police headquarters. Scores of activists were staging a sit-in in front of the Ranni police station where Ms Sasikala is detained.

BJP State president P. Sreedharan Pillai termed Ms Sasikala’s arrest on the forest path to Sabarimala unjustified. He demanded that Central forces take over the security in Sabarimala as the actions of the Kerala police appeared to be prejudicial to pilgrims. Mr Pillai warned that the BJP in other States would take up the Sabarimala agitation. “We will not restrict our agitation to Kerala alone,” he said.

Hartal inconveniences many in the Kerala’s capital

The hartal has inconvenienced many, including numerous long-distance commuters. Despite the steps adopted by the Thiruvananthapuram city police to arrange for the transportation of those who were headed to the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College, Regional Cancer Centre and other health centres, many continued to remain stranded at the Thiruvananthapuram Central railway station and the Thampanoor central bus terminal.

Several students who came from other districts to participate in an inter-collegiate technical festival at the College of Engineering, Thiruvananthapuram, were among those who were stranded.

Peaceful in Wayanad

Life in Wayanad district was affected by the hartal. Attendance was low in government offices and financial institutions. Only 38 out of the 135 employees turned up for the duty at the Collectorate, K. Ajeesh,Additional district magistrate, told The Hindu.

Educational institutions, business establishments, and shops, except medical shops, remained closed.

Though no untoward incidents were yet to be reported from any parts of the district so far.

Kerala varsity suspends contact classes

In view of the hartal, the University of Kerala suspended all contact classes that were scheduled by the School of Distance Education. Equivalency examinations that were scheduled to be conducted by the Directorate of Higher Secondary Education were postponed. The Thiruvananthapuram revenue district mathematics and work experience festivals were postponed to Monday.

The Kerala State Higher Education Council also called off the formal launch of its ‘Prabudhata’ programme that was planned to be held in the Karakulam grama panchayat.

Life hit in Kannur

Police helping stranded passengers at the Railway station in Kannur on Saturday.

Shops and commercial establishments remained closed and public transport vehicles stayed of the roads in Kannur. The hardest hit by the hartal were railway passengers. Police vehicles were pressed into service to take the stranded passengers to select destinations.

The Thrissur Shakthan bus stand wears a deserted look on Saturday due to state-wide hartal. | Photo Credit: K.K. Najeeb

In Alappuzha district



The hartal affected life in Alappuzha district. Shops and commercial establishments remained shut. The Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) and private bus operators were not conducting services. The State Water Transport Department (SWTD) halted services following protests. Hartal supporters blocked private vehicles at many places and forcefully closed petrol pumps.

Slow start in Kochi

Large sections of the populace in Kochi woke up with no idea about the hartal. Earlier in the day, many private and KSRTC buses operated as usual while many shops and petrol pumps were opened. As news of the hartal spread, private buses were taken off the road and shops downed the shutters.

Police said no untoward incident had been reported across the rural and city limits though Sangh Parivar outfits had scheduled protest marches to the offices of the District Police Chief (Rural) and City Police Commissioner later in the day.

Hartal hits pilgrims' passage to Sabarimala

Ayyappa devotees waiting for bus at Thampanoor bus station in Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday. Most buses stayed off the roads due to hartal. | Photo Credit: C Ratheesh kumar

The hartal affected the pilgrims' flow to Sabarimala. Many pilgrims, especially those from other States were left stranded, as buses, autorickshaws and cabs weren't plying.

Adding to the woes were unprecedented restrictions from police personnel in the wake of ongoing 'Save Sabarimala' campaign. For the first time in the history of Sabarimala, police used lathis for regulating Ayyappa devotees.

The hartal affected bus services, inconveniencing commuters. Groups of hartal supporters were out on the roads by early morning forcing hotels and tea shops to down their shutters. Commuters who arrived by train were stranded at railway stations as taxis and autorickshaws refused to ply.

Sporadic incidents of throwing of stones were reported from Thiruvananthapuram.