RSP leader and Kollam MP NK Premachandran reaffirmed his controversial remarks about the 2018 Sabarimala women’s entry issue, alleging that the LDF government and the state police facilitated the visit of Rehana Fathima, Kanaka Durga and Bindu Ammini to the Sabarimala temple. He also said on Monday that he is not bothered by the ongoing cyber attack against him.
Earlier, Premachandran made the remarks during the concluding session of the UDF’s ‘Faith Protection March’ in Pandalam. He alleged that the state government facilitated women’s entry into the Sabarimala temple. He claimed that women devotees were provided with porotta and beef before their temple visit, citing information, he claimed, that came directly from police sources. He added that it was the same government that later in 2025 organised Ayyappa Sangamam in Pamba.
The Sabarimala issue dates back to 2018, when the Supreme Court’s verdict allowing women of all ages to enter the temple sparked massive protests from traditional devotees. The state government, led by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, had directed police leadership to facilitate women’s entry as per the court order. Several women attempted entry amid heavy security, with Bindu Ammini and Kanaka Durga eventually becoming the first to successfully enter the temple under police protection.
According to Premachandran, the police club in Kottayam was mentioned as the location where these food arrangements were made. The MP outlined a detailed timeline, alleging that within just 10 hours of the Supreme Court verdict in 2018, even before the official judgment copy was available, the Director General of Police and senior officials were summoned.
According to Premachandran, they were instructed to implement women’s entry arrangements on an urgent basis. He specifically accused the Home Department and the Pinarayi Vijayan-led government of bringing individuals, including Rehana Fathima, Bindu Ammini, and Kanaka Durga, to a guesthouse in Pala, where they were allegedly provided beef and Porotta.
Premachandran claimed these women were then secretly transported in police vehicles to Pamba before making their ascent to the hilltop shrine.
Meanwhile, BJP leader K Surendran said that it was the LDF government that facilitated the atheist women’s entry into the Sabarimala temple. He said there is no need to attack MP NK Premachandran, who said that women were allowed to enter Sabarimala by providing porota and beef. The BJP leader said he didn’t know whether beef and porota were served to them. He said that when the CPM decided to allow activists to enter Sabarimala in 2018, he did not see a single Congressman protesting against it.