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.
Easwar was first arrested from Pamba on 17 October for protesting when the gates of the Sabarimala temple were opened for the first time after the historic verdict of the Supreme Court allowing the entry of women of all ages to the temple.
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.”
“On December 8, I wasn’t able to report at the police station as I had to go to Delhi for a TV discussion. But I had informed the police station that I would be late. By the time I had arrived on December 9, the police had told the court that I have violated the bail conditions.”Rahul Easwar, President of the Ayyappa Dharma Sena
(Published in an arrangement with The News Minute.)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)