Law & order has collapsed in Kerala: UDF
Kochi, Jan 3: The Congress-led UDF alleged that the law and order had collapsed in Kerala following the violence during a shutdown called by saffron outfits on Thursday to protest against the entry of two women of menstruating age into the Sabarimala temple.
Terming it a "state-sponsored action", the party said the "immature" and "arrogant" approach displayed by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in handling the issue was the reason for the tension,
"The law-and-order situation in the state would not have collapsed had the chief minister shown maturity in handling the Sabarimala issue," United Democratic Front (UDF) convenor Benny Behanan said at a press conference here.
The Congress leader said Vijayan's decision to allow women of menstruating age into the temple had "undermined the sentiments" of the Ayyappa devotees.
"Such actions are against the principles of renaissance. Even women, who participated in the wall of women protest organised by the government for bringing renaissance in the state, are saddened by the state-sponsored action in Sabarimala," he added.
Behanan said steps were also taken to create a favourable ground for the BJP and RSS to grow in Kerala. "We condemn the violence unleashed by BJP and Sangh Parivar over the Sabarimala issue."
The dawn-to-dusk shutdown called by Sabarimala Karma Samithi, an umbrella organisation of various pro-Hindutva groups, and the Antarrashtriya Hindu Parishad (AHP) plunged the state into turmoil, as hundreds of Hindu right-wing activists disrupted vehicular movement and vandalised shops and offices of the ruling CPI(M).
Bindu and Kanakadurga, two women in their 40s, had defied dire threats from saffron organisations and offered prayers at the temple that was out of bounds for girls and women between 10 and 50 years of age, breaking the centuries-old tradition and infuriating the Hindu right.
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'Godman' Kharat held in 8th sexual exploitation case; court denies police remand, sends him to jail
Nashik (PTI): Police took custody of self-proclaimed godman-cum-astrologer Ashok Kharat in an eighth case related to sexual exploitation of women and produced him before a Nashik district court which sent him to jail till May 12 after rejecting the plea for his police remand on Thursday.
On April 29, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Nashik police in north Maharashtra filed a request application in the court demanding Kharat's custody in the eighth case.
After the court granted them the necessary permission, the SIT took custody of Kharat, who was in jail in connection with the seventh case of sexual exploitation registered against him.
The 'godman', named in a dozen FIRs related to rape and financial fraud, was produced before Chief Judicial Magistrate B N Ichpurani in the eighth case through video conferencing due to security reasons.
The eighth case related to Kharat allegedly sexually exploiting a woman who had approached him in search of solutions to her family problems, according to police.
During the hearing, the prosecution demanded police custody of the accused in the latest case.
However, the defence strongly opposed the demand and argued that the SIT was giving same reasons for police custody every time and there was no strong reason for accepting their plea.
The court accepted the argument put forth by the defence and remanded Kharat to judicial custody till May 12 in the eighth case.
The SIT will produce Kharat in the court on Friday again and seek his police custody in the ninth case. As the self-styled godman has been granted judicial custody in the eighth case, he will be sent to Nashik Road Central Jail and the SIT will take his custody from there.
Meanwhile, Kharat's judicial custody in the fourth case ended on Thursday. On April 18, the accused was remanded to judicial custody till April 30 in the fourth case of sexual exploitation of women.
In a related development, the SIT conducted a search at Kharat's office in the 'Canada Corner' area of Nashik city on Wednesday. A 'panchnama' (record of search and seizure proceedings) was conducted and the office was locked and sealed again.
Kharat, a well-heeled man with political connections, was arrested for the first time on March 18 after a woman alleged he had repeatedly raped her for three years.
He is accused of sexually exploiting several women by claiming to have divine powers and knowledge of black magic, and also committing large-scale financial fraud.
The SIT is conducting a probe into 12 cases of sexual exploitation and financial fraud registered against the astrologer in Nashik and Ahilyanagar districts.
