The moment Supreme Court lifted the restrictions of women entering into the famous Sabarimala Temple, the state has been facing a continuous protest by many political parties including the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress. There have been repeated threats of suicide and self-immolation against the verdict. Today morning, the situation has turned worst when reportedly a 49-year-old man put himself on fire and ran towards the venue of a sit-in protest by the BJP. The hunger strike was led by the party’s leader CK Padmanabhan contrary to the police restrictions imposed by the ruling LDF government on the premises of the temple at Thiruvananthapuram. History of Sabarimala: Why Women Weren't Allowed Into The Lord Ayyappa Shrine. 

The workers and locals who were present at the spot, immediately tried to douse the fire. Identified as 49-year-old, Venugopalan Nair is a resident of Muttada. According to the Hindustan Times, the incident happened around 3 am in the morning on December 14. He poured petrol, set himself on fire and rushed to the protest site. Running in flames, he was heard chanting the ‘swami saranam’ songs, shouting ‘Ayyapa Ayyapa’. He was immediately taken to the hospital with 90 per cent burns, and the doctors reported him to be in extremely critical situation. The sub-inspector of the Cantonment Police Station, who is investigating the matter told The Indian Express that he was abandoned by his family which could be the reason for this extreme step. Sabarimala Verdict: I'm a Woman, I Bleed And The Right to Pray is Mine as Much as It's Yours. 

On November 17, when the shrine opened for the annual pilgrimage, the Kerala government imposed many restrictions at the hilltop and the base camps to tackle protesters and reportedly deployed above 10,000 police personnel. There has been severe range of objection including two shutdowns, but this is the first time such incident has been reported. The Supreme Court will look into a bunch of review petitions against its verdict on January 22, 2019.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 13, 2018 01:07 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).