Lankan woman prays at Sabarimala, violence continues in Kerala
Sabarimala/Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 4: A Lankan woman below 50 years succeeded in gaining entry into the Ayyappa shrine here Friday as stray incidents of violence were reported from various parts of the state, a day after BJP-RSS and right wing outfits ran riot clashing with the ruling CPIM.
The Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), which manages the hill temple, sought an explanation from Tantri (priest) Kandararu Rajeevaru for closing the temple and performing purification rites after two women-- Bindu (42) and Kanakadurga (44), entered the temple on January 2.
While sources in Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's office and police confirmed that the 47-year-old Lankan woman Sasikala did indeed enter the shrine and offered prayers, the woman maintained she was turned away by police and that she could not offer prayers.
However, police later released CCTV visuals of the woman and her husband Saravanan inside the shrine. But it is not clear if she climbed the "pathinettampadi" (holy 18 steps) to reach the sanctum sanctorum.
Addressing party workers at Karette on the outskirts of Thiruvananthapuram, Vijayan ridiculed the BJP and RSS and asked why they have not called for a hartal after one more woman had trekked the hills and offered prayers at Sabarimala.
Lashing out at the Sangh Parivar forces, Vijayan said they were trying to disrupt the peace and unity of the state.
"We faced the worst floods in 100 years. We are trying to rebuild our state, a rejuvenated Kerala, a new Kerala. We need that unity which we showcased during floods (in August).
They (sangh parivar) are trying to destroy that. Do not fall for their tricks," he said.
Stray incidents of violence continued to be reported in the southern state, which turned into a war zone over the entry of women of menstruating age in Sabarimala temple, Friday with rampaging protesters hurling crude bombs and stones at various places.
The house of Malabar Devaswom (temple administration) board member K Sasikumar at Perambra in Kozhikode was attacked with bombs in the early hours Friday, the police said.
Similar explosives were hurled at a mobile shop in Adoor in Pathanamthitta, they said.
A police release said 1,718 people have been arrested in connection with the violence in the last two days and 1,108 cases registered till this evening.
The release said 1,009 people have been taken into preventive custody.
According to the release, 174 people, including 132 police personnel and 10 media personnel, have been injured in the violence.
Violent protests were witnessed during the dawn-to-dusk hartal called by pro-Hindu outfits on Thursday.
With violence continuing in some parts, Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala Friday alleged the home department and government had been a "complete failure."
Attacking the left government, he said the state has witnessed BJP-RSS workers unleashing violence in the last two days.
Meanwhile, a transgender named Kayal, who arrived at Pamba around 6 am Friday, was turned away and not allowed by the police to go to the temple complex following protests from devotees.
Kayal had come in a saree and later changed to men's clothing and tried to trek the hills with the "irumudikettu" (sacred offerings).
Four transgenders had recently offered prayers at Sabarimala wearing black sarees.
Since the LDF government decided to implement the Supreme Court verdict allowing women of all age groups to enter the holy shrine, the temple complex has witnessed fierce protests from right wing outfits, BJP and RSS workers.
Traditionally women in the 10-50 age group are not allowed to enter the temple.
Creating history, two women in their forties-- Bindu and Kanakadurga -- had offered prayers at the shrine in the early hours of Wednesday.
Kerala had witnessed unprecedented violence on Thursday, a day after the two women entered the hill temple, infuriating saffron outfits, with protesters blocking roads by placing burning tyres and granite blocks.
Police said a local BJP office in Kannur was set on fire by miscreants Friday. None were injured in the incidents, they added.
A number of houses of the BJP and the ruling CPI(M) activists were attacked and stones hurled in Pathanamthitta, Kannur, Kozhikode and Thiruvananthapuram.
Prohibitory orders were imposed in Palakkad town and Manjeshwar Taluk of Kasargod district in northern Kerala late Thursday night after protests erupted over the women's entry.
The Sabarimala Karma Samiti, an umbrella organisation of various pro-Hindutva groups, and the BJP Friday decided to intensify their agitation against the state government by organising Rath yatras from January 11-13.
"This is to protest the move to destroy traditions of Sabarimala temple," the organisers said at Kochi.
The yatra will cover 10 districts of the state barring four southern districts, including Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta and Alappuzha, Samithi leader SJR Kumar said.
Eighteen crore 'makara jyoti' (lighting of lamps) will be lit across the state on January 14 on the occasion of Makaravilakku festival in Sabarimala, he said.
A secretariat march will be held on January 18.
Under attack from hartal supporters during the violence in the last two days, the Kerala Union of Working Journalists has submitted a complaint to the chief minister seeking against action those who perpetrated the violence.
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Putin meets Iran's FM Araghchi, says Russia ready to do its best to help bring peace to West Asia
Moscow (PTI): Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Monday met Russian President Vladimir Putin, who hailed the Iranian people for fighting bravely and heroically for their sovereignty and said Moscow is ready to do its best to help bring peace to West Asia as soon as possible.
Araghchi, who held talks with Omani and Pakistani leadership before arriving in Russia, met Putin in St. Petersburg and thanked him for supporting Iran, state-owned TASS news agency reported.
"Russia is ready to do everything in its power to ensure that peace in the Middle East is achieved as soon as possible," Putin said during his meeting with Araghchi, which was also attended by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Revealing that he received a message from Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei last week, Putin asked Araghchi to convey his "gratitude for this message and best wishes for his health and well-being."
He praised the Iranian people for fighting "bravely and heroically" for their sovereignty, Iran's state-run PRESS TV reported.
"We really hope that, based on the courage and desire for independence, the Iranian people, under the guidance of the new leader, will weather this difficult period of trials and peace will come,” Putin said.
He also stressed that Russia “intends to maintain” its strategic relations with Iran.
Araghchi said that the world witnessed Iran’s strength in countering the US during the recent war, and that the Islamic Republic is a "stable and powerful establishment."
"With their courage, the Iranian people succeeded in resisting the US aggression and will be able to endure it,” he said.
He said that it became clear that Iran has “great friends and allies” like Russia, and conveyed “warmest greetings” from Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei and President Masoud Pezeshkian to the Russian leader.
Araghchi said relations between Moscow and Tehran represent a “strategic partnership at the highest level” and will continue to develop "regardless of circumstances."
"We are grateful to you for the solid and strong positions in support of the Islamic Republic of Iran," he said.
Foreign Minister Lavrov said that the talks between President Putin and the Iranian Foreign Minister were "useful and constructive."
Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov later said that Russia is "ready to provide any good offices, any mediation services that are acceptable to the parties."
"We will be ready to do everything so that ultimately peace ensues, guaranteed peace, and that there is no return to hostilities," Peskov was quoted as saying by TASS.
He was asked how Moscow can assist in future negotiations on the Iranian settlement.
Araghchi arrived in Russia after his whirlwind trip to Islamabad, which, according to him, was “very productive” and involved “good consultations" with Pakistan's Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, amid uncertainty over the second round of peace talks to resolve the war in West Asia.
"We held good consultations with our friends in Pakistan. The trip was successful. We assessed the outcome of our recent (meetings) and discussed in what direction and under what conditions talks can move on,” Araghchi said in a video posted on his Telegram channel upon his arrival in St Petersburg.
Referring to the second round of talks between the US and Iran to resolve the conflict in West Asia, Araghchi said: "Developments have taken place in the negotiations."
"Despite some progress in earlier rounds, the talks failed to reach their objectives due to the Americans' approach, the excessive demands they made, and the wrong approaches they adopted. Therefore, it was necessary to consult with our friends in Pakistan to review the latest situation,” Iran's official news agency IRNA quoted him as saying.
He said that the trip to Pakistan was a good opportunity to review developments related to the US-Israeli war against Iran, expressing confidence that “these consultations and coordination between the two countries will be highly significant.”
Araghchi arrived at St. Petersburg's Pulkovo Airport early Monday, where he was welcomed by Russian officials and Iran’s ambassador to Russia, Kazem Jalali, the report said.
The first round of peace talks between Iran and the US, held on April 11 and 12, failed to bring the desired result for the parties to the conflict.
The Iranian minister arrived in Islamabad for the second time on Sunday after a short visit to Oman, where he held talks with Sultan Haitham bin Tariq al-Said on security in the Strait of Hormuz and diplomatic efforts to end the Iran-US conflict.
After Araghchi left Pakistan for Oman on Saturday, President Donald Trump announced that US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would no longer be going to Islamabad for talks with Iran, contending that Washington held all the cards on the matter.
Trump on Sunday reiterated that the US and Iranian officials can talk by phone for a peace solution to the conflict.
On Tuesday, Trump extended the two-week ceasefire with Iran indefinitely to give Tehran more time to prepare a unified proposal to end the war, just hours before the truce was set to expire.
The war began when the US and Israel jointly attacked Iran on February 28, killing Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several top commanders. The retaliation by the Islamic Republic extended the war to the entire Gulf region.
