Logo

Logo

Two women begin trek to Sabarimala temple amid strong protests

If they climbed the hills, they would be the first women from the menstruating age group to visit the Sabarimala temple of Lord Ayyappa after the SC order.

Two women begin trek to Sabarimala temple amid strong protests

Devotees take part in a protest against a Supreme Court verdict revoking a ban on women's entry to Sabarimala temple. (Photo: AFP)

Two women, including a reporter from Hyderabad, began trekking to Sabarimala hill on Friday amid strong protests by devotees opposing the entry of girls and women of menstrual age into the Lord Ayyappa temple.

Their attempt to reach the shrine came a day after a New Delhi-based woman reporter of a foreign media outlet made a failed bid to visit the temple.

Police have escalated the security as the women have been provided a security blanket of police led by IG S Sreejithhave. There have been strong protests by devotees opposing the entry of girls and women of menstrual age into the Lord Ayyappa temple.

Advertisement

According to the media reports, the woman journalist Kavitha Jakkal, who has begun her trek to temple, works with Hyderabad based Mojo TV. She is believed to be in her 20s. The second woman is activist Rehana Fatima.

If they climbed the hills, they would be the first women from the menstruating age group to visit the Sabarimala temple of Lord Ayyappa after the Supreme Court order permitting women of all age groups to enter the shrine.

Read | Sabarimala row: Kerala man in Saudi fired for ‘derogatory’ remarks about women

On Thursday, the New Delhi-based woman journalist was stopped midway by devotees opposing the entry of women of menstrual age into the hill shrine. The journalist accompanied by her male colleague, a foreigner, descended the hills from Marakkoottam area in the face of mounting protests.

A case has been registered against devotees who allegedly prevented her trekking and forced her to climb down the hills.

Women of the ages hitherto barred from entering the famed Lord Ayyappa temple in Sabarimala stayed away for a second day on Thursday following uneasy calm in Kerala amid a dawn-to-dusk shutdown called by outfits owing loyalty to Hindu groups and the BJP.

Tension prevailed on Thursday a day after the opening of the short five-day pilgrimage season in the wake of the protest shutdown against the alleged police attack on protesters on Wednesday even as a senior member of the Sabarimala priest’s family urged women from the 10-50 age group to respect tradition and not visit the Lord Ayyappa shrine.

A couple of women devotees were prevented from undertaking the trek to the hill temple on Wednesday.

At the end of the second day, A. Padmakumar, President of the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), the custodian of the temple, told the media they were ready to go to any extent to resolve the issue.

“Tomorrow we are having a meeting and we wish to ask if the protests will be called off if we decide to file a review petition against the Supreme Court verdict (allowing women of all ages)?” asked Padmakumar, also a senior CPI-M leader.

Read | Sabarimala violence: Rahul Easwar arrested, protesters attack female journalists

On Thursday morning, Suhasini Raj, who works as the India reporter for The New York Times, along with a foreign national colleague, managed to go past the Pamba gateway but was stopped midway by angry devotees who erected a human wall before her.

“I had reached half way and then the protests grew stronger. I was hit by a stone and then we decided to return. The police had provided us all the security,” said Raj, who had earlier pointed out that she came to do her job to speak to devotees.

Pathanamthitta District Collector P.B. Nooh told the media on Thursday afternoon that Section 144 was in force and would be there till Friday midnight. Police would provide security to any woman who wished to go and pray, he said.

Of the 30 protesters arrested on Wednesday, 20 were produced before the Magistrate Court in Ranni and remanded to two weeks judicial custody. The arrested activists included a member of the Tantri family, Rahul Eashwar.

The state-wide shutdown called by the Sabarimala Karma Samithi on Thursday was largely peaceful in Kerala and saw only a few private vehicles ply on the roads.

(With agency inputs)

Advertisement