Kerala: A man allegedly set himself ablaze, at the venue of the BJP’s Sabarimala protest in the state capital Thiruvananthapuram in the early hours of Thursday.
It is said that 49-year-old man Venugopalan Nair, a native of Thiruvananthapuram poured petrol on his body and ran to the protest venue chanting ‘Swamiye Saranam Ayyappa’. However, the BJP members and police, who were at the venue doused off the fire and took Nair to Medical College hospital in Thiruvananthapuram. The doctors have said that Nair has suffered nearly 70 per cent burns on his body and is critical.
The BJP has staged a stir opposing the entry of women into Sabarimala temple and has demanded the Kerala government to initiate talks with them to end the strike, but the government is yet to respond. Despite a Supreme Court order which allowed women of all ages entry into the hill shrine, no women between the age of 10-50 have managed to reach there.
