Both are opposed to the court’s order to allow women inside the temple. More than 3,000 protesters have either been arrested or taken into preventive custody after multiple clashes between police and demonstrators. Kerala has a history of political violence between Hindu and the left-leaning parties but tensions in the region have escalated since the women entered the temple on January 2. Hindu groups believe that women of menstruating age should not enter the temple because they are “impure” and the temple deity, Ayyappa, was celibate. The Communist Party has accused the BJP and RSS of inciting violence in the state.

Source: The Guardian January 05, 2019 10:07 UTC