Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president Mullapally Ramachandran on Monday said the adverse remarks of the Kerala High Court on police “excesses” in Sabarimala should be an eye-opener for the State government to the hardships being faced by pilgrims arriving at the hill shrine.
Reacting to the police arrests on Sunday night, Mr. Ramachandran wanted a comprehensive probe into the incident after removing the Malapurram SP and Sabarimala Special Police Officer Prateesh Kumar who were on duty at that time.
Mr. Ramachandran wanted the State government to weed out Sangh Parivar activists, but the police action against genuine devotees was unacceptable.
The BJP was playing out a crass political drama in Sabarimala rather than leading a fight to protect customs and traditions. The prevailing police raj had contributed to the fall in pilgrim arrivals.
Earlier, addressing a memorial function marking the birth anniversary of Indira Gandhi at the KPCC headquarters here, Mr. Ramachandran said the biggest threat faced by the country was fascism.
Platform forged
The Sangh Parivar which had forged a platform on Hindu unification in North India using the Ayodhya issue, was now trying to trigger polarisation using Sabarimala issue.
Former KPCC president V.M. Sudheeran accused the State government of preparing the ground for the RSS-BJP to play political games using the Sabarimala issue. He said that State-sponsored terrorism was prevailing in Sabarimala and wanted the government to take appropriate action to restore peace.
