Kochi, Oct 18(India Today): Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan today blamed the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) for the violence witnessed at Sabarimala temple yesterday, October 17 when the shrine opened for devotees. Pinarayi Vijayan said that the attackers enjoyed the backing of the RSS.

Protest against the entry of women of all age groups into the Sabarimala temple had turned violent at some places in Kerala. Journalists were also attacked by protestors. India Today reporter was also among those attacked.

In a series of tweets, Pinarayi Vijayan said, "Sabarimala has a uniqueness that other temples lack; it allows entry for people of all faith. Sangh Parivar and RSS have always been intolerant of this fact. They have made many attempts to erase this distinction of Sabarimala."

"The role they played in eliminating the rituals performed at Sabarimala by Adivasi-Malayaran community is common knowledge. The present troubles must be seen in this light. The RSS backed attackers are obstructing believers and spreading terror," he said.

Pinarayi Vijayan said, "These attackers are motivated by casteist and feudal ideologies. Encouraging such movements will eventually lead to the banishment of backward classes from places like Sabarimala. All believers must condemn this attack on Sabarimala."

The comments came on a day when several Hindu outfits called a hartal in Kerala to protest the decision to allow women of all age groups to enter the Sabarimala temple. Buses and auto-rickshaws stayed off the road today.

Protesters are opposing the Supreme Court judgment allowing the entry of women of menstrual age group into the Sabarimala temple. The protest turned violent at Nilackal yesterday. There were also clashes between the police and protesters. The police resorted to baton-charge.

Antharashtriya Hindu Parishad led by Parvin Togadia called for a hartal demanding that the Pinarayi Vijayan government should bring a law to overturn the Supreme Court verdict. A five-judge bench of the Supreme Court on September 28 had lifted the ban on women's entry into the Sabarimala temple declaring the relevant rules as unconstitutional.