Melsanthi Unnikrishnan Nampoothiri opens the Sabarimala temple for the five-day monthly pooja in the Malayalam month of ‘Thulam’. (Source: PTI)
7 years ago
Oct 19, 2018
An entry point near the Lord Ayyappa temple in Sabarimala on Friday virtually turned into an area of confrontation.A large number of devotees opposing the entry of women of the menstrual age group blocked two women -- a reporter from Hyderabad and another said to be an activist from Kerala.
It's a ritualistic disaster. We took them up to temple & gave them protection but 'darshan' is something which can be done with consent of priest. We will give them (journalist Kavitha Jakkal&woman activist Rehana Fatima) whatever protection they want: Kerala IG S Sreejith (2/2) pic.twitter.com/YleAGTQbcj
Amid mounting pressure, Devaswom Minster Kadakampally Surendran said the activists should not try to make the holy land of Ayyappa a place to prove their strength.
The police is holding discussions with the women who still insist they should reach the shrine.
A Delhi-based woman journalist of a foreign media outlet who trekked the Sabarimala hill was Thursday stopped midway by Lord Ayyappa 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 protest by the Ayyappa devotees.
A case has been registered against devotees who allegedly prevented her trekking and forced her to climb down the hills.
The journalist later said she and her colleague decided to return after they were stopped by an "aggressive mob" which hurled stones at them. A stone hit her on the shoulder, she said.
The Centre has asked the Kerala government to ensure peace across the state following protests against the Supreme Court order allowing women of all age groups to enter Sabarimala temple, officials said.
In an advisory, the Home Ministry said the maintenance of law and order, including providing security to women wishing to visit the temple, was the responsibility of the state government.
The Kerala government must ensure law and order and full compliance of the Supreme Court order allowing women of the menstrual age group to visit Sabarimala Temple of Lord Ayyappa, a Home Ministry official said.
A day after devotees opposing entry of women into Sabarimala Temple clashed with the police at Nilackal, the Kerala government on Thursday charged that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh was trying to "destroy" the Ayyappa shrine by "unleashing terror".
The Bharatiya Janata Party, however, countered the allegation, saying the Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led Left Democratic Front government was trying to tarnish the temple and was responsible for creating tension at the shrine.
Blocking devotees from proceeding to the temple and forcing them to return by creating terror was part of the RSS-Sangh Parivar's move to "destroy" Sabarimala, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan charged in a Facebook post.
Reacting to developments at Sabarimala, BJP state president PS Sreedharan Pillai demanded a judicial probe into the circumstances that led to the violence and the lathi-charge by police against protesters.
Police have also promulgated Section 144 of Code of Criminal Procedure in four places including Pamba, Sannidhanam to check any protest and violence.
The Sabarimala Samarakashna Samithi, an outfit of devotees, has called the hartal to protest the Wednesday 'police lathicharge' against Lord Ayyappa devotees at Nilackal, the base camp of Ayyappa shrine in Sabarimala.
The BJP and its NDA partners have extended their support to the hartal call. The Congress said it would not join the strike but hold protest demonstrations across the state on Thursday.
Protesters opposing the Supreme Court order on women's entry into Sabarimala temple turned violent at Nilackal on Wednesday and clashed with police, which resorted to baton-charge.
An elderly woman and a few other peoples were injured as police tried to disperse the crowd shortly before the temple of Lord Ayyappa was to open for monthly pooja. Several vehicles were also damaged in the stone pelting as tension continued to prevail in the area.
As agitating devotees took to the streets in large numbers over the Sabarimala issue, the opposition BJP and Congress Wednesday joined their stir at Pamba and Nilackal, the entry points to the hill shrine.
With the issue of women of all age groups being allowed into the Lord Ayyappa temple taking a political turn, the BJP and Congress have extended support to devotees who are protesting against the CPI(M)-led LDF government's decision to implement the verdict and not file a review petition.
The Left front government termed the agitation as "politically motivated" and said it would be met politically.
Women journalists were heckled, their vehicles smashed and young female Ayyappa devotees turned back as hordes of Hindu right activists besieged the road leading to the Sabarimala temple whose gates open for women of menstrual age Wednesday evening for the first time after the Supreme Court's verdict.
Earlier, the police, deployed in large numbers in Nilackal, some 20 kilometers away from the Sabarimala hilltop, had removed a makeshift shelter erected by a protesting group- Sabarimala Achara Samrakshana Samiti.
Some activists of the Samiti, who had stayed back at Nilackal, also allegedly prevented mediapersons from carrying out their work. Crews of various TV news channels were asked to leave and were able to return only after additional policemen were deployed in the area.
Around 500 police personnel, including women, have been deployed in Nilackal to ensure a safe passage to pilgrims to the Ayyappa temple.
