THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Tension prevailed at Nilakkal on Sunday after eight BJP activists led by state spokesman B Gopalakrishnan violated the prohibitory order. The eight-member team reached Nilakkal around 12.45 pm with ‘Irumudikettu’ for visiting the hill shrine. There was a huge police deployment at Nilakkal from Sunday morning following the intelligence reports about the BJP’s protests.
When the team asked the police to allow them to proceed, the police said the entry would be granted only after abiding a set of regulations issued by police. The regulations included returning from the temple within six hours. However, the activists refused the instructions and staged a sit-in on the road. Police arrested them and sent them to Perinadu police station. Later they were released on bail. The activists decided to violate the orders after the arrest of 76 devotees from Sannidhanam last week for conducting Namajapam at Thirumuttam.