THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The hartal called by the BJP after an Ayyappa devotee ended his life in front of the secretariat began Friday morning. Milk and newspapers have been exempted from the hartal. Venugopalan Nair (46) of Muttada doused himself with kerosene and set himself on fire Thursday early morning at 1.30 am in front of the makeshift shed where former BJP state president C K Padmanabhan is on hunger strike on the Sabarimala issue.

Normal life has been crippled in the state. Many Ayyappa devotees in the capital city and Chengannur are stranded due to the unavailability of vehicles. KSRTC buses are operating services only with police protection. Separate vehicles have been arranged in the capital city for RCC patients. Meantime, state police chief Lokanath Behera has directed all district police chiefs to ensure the security of the people. Behra has issued a stern warning that any trouble makers who try to forcefully down shutters and create impediments would be arrested immediately.