Hartal over Sabarimala issue begins in Kerala, special security arrangements in place
Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 18: Buses and auto-rickshaws stayed off the road as a hartal called by various Hindu outfits in Kerala against the decision to allow women of all age groups to enter the Sabarimala temple began Thursday.
Special security arrangements have been put in place at various locations including Pamba, Nilackal, Erumeli en route to the Sabarimala temple, located in Pathanamthitta district, officials said.
However, stray incidents of stone-pelting on Kerala State Road Transport Corporation buses were reported from some parts of the state, police said. However, private vehicles were plying in some areas.
Police have also promulgated section 144 of CrPc in four places including Pamba, Sannidhanam to check any kind of protest and violence.
The Sabarimala Samrakshana Samithi, an outfit of devotees, has called the hartal to protest the Wednesday 'police lathicharge' against Lord Ayyappa devotees at Nilackal, the base camp of Lord Ayyappa shrine in Sabarimala.
The BJP and its NDA partners have extended their support to the hartal call.
The Congress said it would not join the strike but hold protest demonstrations across the state on Thursday.
Protesters opposing the Supreme Court order allowing the entry of women of menstrual age group into the shrine turned violent at Nilackal and clashed Wednesday and the police resorted to baton-charge.
Antar Rashtriya Hindu Parishad led by Pravin Togadia has also called for a hartal demanding that the CPI-M led LDF government promulgate a law to get around the apex court verdict.
On September 28, a five-judge Constitution bench of the SC, headed by then chief justice Dipak Misra, lifted the centuries-old ban on the entry of women of menstrual age into the shrine.
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Op Sindoor: Terrorists will think 100 times before acting, says Pahalgam victim Narwal's father
Chandigarh, May 7 (PTI): Pahalgam terror attack victim Lt Vinay Narwal's father, Rajesh Narwal, on Wednesday hailed India's response and said the Modi government has sent a strong message and now the perpetrators of the April 22 attack "will think 100 times" before repeating such attacks in the future.
Retaliating against the terror attack, Indian armed forces on early Wednesday carried out missile strikes on nine terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir, including the Jaish-e-Mohammad stronghold of Bahawalpur and Lashkar-e-Taiba's base in Muridke.
"When this (Pahalgam) incident happened, even then you (media) came to my home and asked what I expected from the government. My answer was that I had faith in our government. And today, the government has justified that trust," Rajesh Narwal told reporters at his residence in Karnal.
"I had said that such a thing (retaliatory strikes) has to be done so that no one dares to do such a cowardly act again...the strikes carried out on the terror targets (in Pak and PoK) will resonate in their minds forever.
Responding to a question on the mission's name, Rajesh said, "This operation has been aptly named Operation Sindoor."
Earlier, when Vinay Narwal's mother, Asha, was asked to comment about India's response to the Pahalgam incident, she told reporters, "It is a very good thing that (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi has avenged the (Pahalgam) attack. I am with them (the government), people are with them, and our entire family is with them".
"I want to tell our Army to give a befitting reply so that such incidents (like Pahalgam) do not occur again," she said and added that those who got martyred have got justice.
Married about three weeks ago, Narwal (26), accompanied by his wife Himanshi, was on a honeymoon in south Kashmir's Pahalgam town when terrorists shot him at point blank, an incident in which 25 others, mostly tourists, were also killed.
Karnal, Haryana: Father of Navy officer Vinay Narwal's Rajesh Narwal on #OperationSindoor says, "When this incident happened, even at that time you came home and asked me what I expected from the government. And my clear answer was that I have complete trust in the Indian… pic.twitter.com/eYPVFP6YIK
— IANS (@ians_india) May 7, 2025
