The BJP on Thursday took out protest marches to all 14 district collectorates in Kerala over the alleged “gold theft” in Sabarimala Ayyappa temple.
In several districts, the protests turned violent, prompting police to use water cannons to disperse the agitators.
As the march to the Kozhikode collectorate was stopped by the police with a barricade the activists climbed over the barricade. Even as the police used water cannons to disperse the protesters, they kept shouting slogans against the LDF government.
The protestors were demanding a CBI probe into the “gold theft” and the resignation of Devaswom Minister VN Vasavan and Travancore Devaswom Board president PS Prasnanth.
In Kasaragod, BJP Mahila Morcha activists scaled police barricades and attempted to enter the district collectorate compound before being arrested and removed.
In Palakkad, the protest led by B Gopalakrishnan turned violent after agitators alleged that they were attacked by the police. The protestors were later arrested and removed from the spot.
To disperse protesters in Kochi, the police used water cannons. The protests in Kollam, Alappuzha, and Thrissur also witnessed violence with several protestors being taken into custody.
Inaugurating the march in Kozhikode, former Kerala BJP chief K Surendran said Gold is a weakness to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and his team. They will steal it wherever they find it, he said.
“The most notorious gold thief in history is Aurangzeb. He stole a lot of temple gold. Pinarayi Vijayan is a bigger gold thief than Aurangzeb,” he said.
Surendran also alleged that a planned move is being made under Pinarayi Vijayan’s leadership to steal gold from temples in the state. The CPM has stolen Rs 8 crore from the Thirunelli temple, where offerings are being made to Pithrukkalakku (ancestors).