Sabarimala LIVE Updates: Kochi and Thiruvanathapuram were among four places where protests erupted after two women devotees of menstruating age entered Kerala’s Sabarimala Temple on Wednesday, scripting history after the Supreme Court verdict allowing entry to women of all ages into the Lord Ayyappa shrine. Members of the BJP Mahila Morcha also tried to enter the Kerala secretariat and were taken away by the police. Latest reports said protesters had also attacked media personnel and demanded that chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan resign.
The women — Bindu (42), a CPI(ML) activist from Koyilandy in Kozhikode district, and Kanakadurga (44), a civil supplies employee from Angadipuram in Malappuram — said that they began climbing the steps to Lord Ayyappa shrine around midnight and reached the temple at 3:45 am for darshan.
After the duo released a video of their visit, CM Pinarayi Vijayan confirmed that the devotees prayed at the temple. “There were protests earlier, but today two women entered Sabarimala shrine. We have given a standing order to police to provide all possible protection to any woman who wants to enter the temple,” he said.
The move, however, did not go down well with the devotees, with Sabarimala head priest Kandaru Rajeevaru ordering that the temple be shut till 11.30am for ‘purification’ rituals. Pandalam erstwhile royal Shashi Verma said that the women’s entry into Sannidhanam was not historic, but against the customs of Sabarimala. “Customs of the temple should be maintained. We are not in the favour of changing rituals, he said, adding that the temple will have to be “purified”.
Expressing his dissatisfaction with the move, BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya questioned if the Kerala government had “desecrated” the shrine. “Have the Communists desecrated Sabarimala shrine by facilitating entry of women of restricted age group into the temple? Devastating, if true,” he tweeted.
RSS ideologue and BJP national general secretary (organisation) BL Santosh hit out at media for terming the devotees’ trek as ‘historic’. “Remember that Aurangzeb, Genghis Khan, Jai Chand were also part of history. For what do people remember them? Shame on you (media),” he said. Leader of opposition Ramesh Chennithala slammed the state government for facilitating the women’s entry in Sabarimala, saying the priests were right in closing the temple for purification rituals.
The issue also saw some protests, with Devasom Board minister Surendran and minister Shailaja being shown black flags in Guruvayyur and Kannur respectively. Meanwhile, a team of Kerala police has been deployed outside the women’s residence, fearing backlash.
The women had last year also attempted to trek to Sannidhanam, but were forced to return due to protests. Eleven other women activists of a Chennai-based outfit were prevented from reaching the shrine and chased away by devotees chanting Ayyappa mantras.
Kerala had witnessed massive protests by devotees opposing the entry of girls and women in the 10-50 age group into the shrine after the CPI(M)-led LDF government decided to implement the apex court verdict allowing all women to offer prayers at the temple.
Read all the Latest News , Breaking News , watch Top Videos and Live TV here.
Comments
0 comment