Clashes After 2 Women Enter Sabarimala, Stun Grenades, Tear Gas Used
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, Jan 02: Clashes broke out between activists of the BJP youth wing and the ruling Left in front of the Kerala secretariat in Thiruvananthapuram, hours after two women sneaked into the Sabarimala temple early this morning. Police used stun grenades, tear gas shells and water cannons to disperse the protesters.
Protests erupted across the state soon after news of the women trekking to the hill shrine spread. The temple itself was closed for over an hour for "purification". Kerala Minister EP Jayarajan claimed this amounts to contempt of court because "untouchability is against the law".
Thiruvananthapuram is currently in a tense standoff that has lasted over four hours, with neither side showing any sign of backing down. Police could also be seen charging at protesters who were trying to enforce a shutdown of shops in the area. A few policemen were injured after protesters targeted them with stones.
Bindu and Kanaka Durga, both in their early 40s, entered the hilltop shrine around 3.45 am. A video accessed by NDTV showed them hurrying into the shrine along with a police team even as a group protested in the backdrop. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan confirmed the visit. "It is a fact that the women entered the shrine. Police are bound to offer protection to anyone wanting to worship at the shrine," he said.
During the protests that followed, BJP workers waved black flags at State Minister For Temple Bodies Kadakampally Surendran and Health Minister KK Shylaja in Guruvayur. BJP workers took out a march in the state capital and blocked a national highway in Kasaragod. Right-wing activist Rahul Easwar said his group -- the Ayyappa Dharma Sena -- would take "appropriate action" after more information comes through.
Kerala has been on the boil since last September, when the Supreme Court overturned an age-old ban preventing women of menstrual age from visiting the Ayyappa temple. Over a dozen women attempted to do so, but were stopped by a wall of protesters less than a kilometre away from the temple.
However, the Left government remains firm in its resolve to stand by the Supreme Court verdict. On Tuesday, it organised a massive women's chain extending from the northern tip of Kerala to its extreme south to push for equal rights for women in all spheres of life. An estimated 30-50 lakh women participated in the event.
The Supreme Court is to start hearing a legal challenge to its ruling on January 22.
Courtesy: www.ndtv.com
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Mumbai family deaths: FDA finds no watermelon vendor in area to check for affected stock
Mumbai (PTI): The Food and Drug Administration team probing the cause of death of four members of a family in south Mumbai's JJ Marg area have not been able to zero in on any watermelon vendor in the vicinity to check if the fruit had a role to play in the ill-fated incident, an official said on Thursday.
The Dokadia family, residents of Ghari Mohalla on Ismail Kurte Road, had hosted a get-together of relatives on the night of April 25. At around 1 am, hours after the guests had left, Abdullah Dokadia (40), his wife Nasreen (35), and daughters Ayesha (16) and Zaineb (13) ate pieces of a watermelon.
They suffered severe bouts of vomiting and diarrhoea in the early hours of April 26 and were rushed to a local hospital before being referred to the government-run J J Hospital where all four died during treatment.
"The FDA team visited the house of Dokadia and collected samples of chicken pulao and watermelon pieces. After two days, the leftover chicken pulao had developed fungus growth. The team also tried to locate watermelon vendors to check for any affected lots," he said.
But no vendors were found in the area for the past two days, preventing the FDA team from getting samples, the official added.
The FDA has requested the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) to share the report on the food samples collected by them, he added.
A senior Mumbai police official said the force is waiting for FSL reports in the case, adding that questions on presence of sedatives etc in the fruit could be answered only then.
The statements of the kin of the deceased are being recorded to ascertain if it is a case of mass suicide, and it is being checked if the Dokadia family were in debt or distressed over some issue, the police official said.
