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Rahul Easwar, the President of the Ayyappa Dharma Sena, has been arrested on Monday morning, 17 December, from a rest house in Palakkad. This comes after a local court in Ranni on Saturday, 15 December, revoked his bail on the grounds that he had violated the bail conditions.
As per his bail conditions, Easwar was supposed to report at the Pathanamthitta police station every Saturday. However, on 8 December, he failed to appear as he was in Delhi for a television panel discussion.
Before the gates of the shrine opened on 17 October , Easwar had said that the believers would stage a peaceful protest in the premises of the temple. However, on the same day, violent protests erupted as a mob of protesters vandalised vehicles, attacked women journalists and pelted stones at police officials.
Following the attack, Easwar was arrested by the Pamba Police under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including section 144 (unlawful assembly), 147 (rioting), read with 149 (member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecuting of common object of the assembly), and 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public serving from discharge of duty).
He was later granted bail on 22 October under certain conditions.
Rahul had earlier told TNM that he would approach the Kerala High Court as well as the Human Rights Commission on Monday against this “childish and outrageous act by the police.”
(Published in an arrangement with The News Minute.)
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