Over 2,000 Sabarimala protesters arrested

In two days the Kerala police have arrested over 2,000 people for blocking the entry of women in the age group of 10-50 to the Sabarimala temple. In the last 12 hours, over 700 people from Pathanamthitta district - where the temple is located - as well as Thiruvananthapuram, Kozhikode, Ernakulam and other places have been arrested, Director General of Police Loknath Behra said. A total of 2,061 people across the state have been arrested since Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan chaired a high-level meeting with police officials and ordered the action against the protesters. A total of 452 cases have been registered against 2,300 people for defying the September 28 order of the Supreme Court allowing women of all ages to visit the temple. The police chief said the crackdown would continue.