Buses carrying participants for Ayyappa Jyothi come under attack

Six buses used by participants in the Ayyappa Jyothi campaign, organised by the Sabarimala Karma Samithi, were pelted with stones near Payyannur on Wednesday, the police said.

Devotees participating in the Ayyappa Jyothi programme in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday organised by the Sabarimala Karma Samithi seeking protection of the customs at Sabarimala (Photo | BP Deepu/ EPS)

KANNUR: Six buses used by participants in the Ayyappa jyothi campaign, organised by the Sabarimala Karma Samithi, were pelted with stones near Payyannur on Wednesday, the police said. The buses were bringing women for the campaign, officers said.

The vehicles were damaged and a few organisers suffered minor injuries. According to the police, the devotees were targeted in the evening at places between Perumba and Kalikkadavu, and some people were admitted in hospital with minor injuries.

The BJP alleged that the CPM workers were behind the attack. In a statement, BJP district president P Sathyaprakash said that the attacks showed the CPM was annoyed by the success of the Ayyappa Jyothi campaign. “CPM workers attacked the Ayyappa devotees, including women, who participated in the campaign,” he said.