Sabarimala Row: Protests continue for 5th straight day since temple opening, four more women forced to abandon trek, Muslim activist who attempted to climb shrine expelled from community

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Its been five days since the doors of the Sabarimala shrine opened to the devotees following the Supreme Court judgment allowing women of all ages to enter and there has been no end to the demonstrations. Protesters prevented four more more women from climbing the holy hills on Sunday. The women – all three from Andhra Pradesh – were going to the shrine without police protection but the protesters chanting Ayyappa mantras stopped them even as the cops looked on and did not intervene. 

Balamma, a 46-year-old native of Andhra Pradesh reached up to ‘Nada Pandal’, which is about 500 metres from the temple. She had managed to reach there undetected as she was walking alone. 

But the protesters circled her at Nada Pandal and demanded her ID card. Seeing that she was 46 years old, and hence fell in the 10-50 age bracket that was banned earlier, they asked her to go back.

Nervous after being heckled by the crowd, she fell unconscious and had taken to a hospital in Pamba in an ambulance. 

Earlier in the day, three more women were also stopped by protestors when they were about 200 metres away from Pamba. While 41-year-old Vasanthi and 42-year-old Aadhiseshi- both hailing from Andhra Pradesh were stopped by protestors when they were about 200 metres away from Pamba, another woman was was blocked by the devotees at Marakkoottam enroute to the shrine and sent back on suspicion that she has not reached the permitted age of 50.

CPI(M) politburo member S Ramachandran Pillai said the protesters did not have the support of the Kerala society. Kerala state police chief Loknath Behera said the police will conduct a review of the alleged police lapses while handling the issues related to Sabarimala after the doors of the shrine close on Monday after the monthly Pooja.

He said the Sabarimala pilgrim season beginning next month was going to be a challenging one for them. Kerala has been witnessing massive protests by Lord Ayyappa devotees opposing the entry of girls and women of menstrual age into the Sabarimala temple since the government decided to implement the apex court order.

Police said they had initially offered them protection, but the women refused and said they do not want to go further. Both of them were with their families. 

The police, which took the women to safety after they were turned back, said that the duo informed the security forces that they came to Sabarimala without knowing the customs of the temple.

The women were part of a pilgrims group visiting temples in Kerala. They have been taken to Nilakkal where their vehicle was parked, police said.

The two women gave in writing to the police that they did not want to break the centuries-old custom of the temple, sources said.

Sunday is the fifth day since the temple gates were opened for the monthly puja after the Supreme Court last month lifted a centuries-old ban on women between 10 and 50 years entering the Lord Ayyappa shrine.

SABARIMALA KARMA SAMITHI CALLS FOR 'NAMAJAPA YATRA' PROTEST 

Meanwhile, the Sabarimala Karma Samithi has decided to strengthen its agitation against the CPI(M)-led Kerala government's "hasty" move to implement the Supreme Court order.

The Samiti has called for "namajapa yatra" (protest march chanting Ayyappa mantra) to police stations across the southern state against alleged police action on their activists. Hundreds of women participated in one such protest march held in Erumeli, a key pilgrim centre connected with Sabarimala.

BJP state president P S Sreedharan Pillai urged the state government to convene assembly session to discuss the issue. He claimed that even CPI(M) members in the state were opposing the bid to break the custom of the ancient shrine.

POLICE ASSURE PROTECTION TO WOMEN DEVOTEES, BJP TO LAUNCH ONE-MONTH LONG CAMPAIGN AGAINST SC VERDICT ALLOWING WOMEN'S ENRTY TO SABARIMALA SHRINE

Amid the heightening tensions, the state police have assured to grant protection to all women devotees.

The BJP on Sunday announced that it will launch a one-month long campaign across Kerala against the Supreme Court verdict that allowed women of all age groups to enter the Sabarimala Temple.

K Surendran, Kerala BJP General Secretary said, "There will be a month-long Sabarimala Aiyyappa Samrakshnaye Abhiyaan (Save Sabarimala Campaign) across Kerala. We will be going to every single booth, will visit every house and tell people about the importance of the sanctity of Sabarimala Temple."

A small group of BJP leaders was arrested for violating  ban orders in force under Section 144 of the CrPC at Nilackal, a key entry point to Sabarimala. Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly RameshChennithala of Congress urged the Centre to bring an ordinance to overcome the Supreme Court verdict.

ACTIVIST REHANA FATHIMA EXPELLED FROM MUSLIM COMMUNITY

Meanwhile, activist Rehana Fathima, who had made an attempt to enter Sabarimala temple, has been expelled from the Muslim community for "hurting the sentiments of lakhs of Hindu devotees", the Kerala Muslim Jama'ath Council said.

Initiating action against Rehana, Kerala Muslim Jama'ath Council president A Poonkunju said in a press statement Saturday that she had been expelled from the community.

He said the Council has also directed the Ernakulam Central Muslim Jama'ath to expel her and her family from the membership of Mahallu.

She made a failed attempt to reach the temple with heavy police protection. The attackers reached Rehana's house in Panambilly Nagar here while she was climbing the hills.

Rehana, a model and activist who was part of the 'Kiss of Love' movement in Kochi in 2014 against alleged moral policing, was among the two women who had reached the hilltop, but had to return before reaching the sanctum sanctorum following massive protests by Ayyappa devotees.Rehana and Hyderabad-based journalist Kavitha were taken to the hills with heavy police protection.

A mother of two and employee of the BSNL, the activist had kicked up a row last year by posing for topless photos with watermelons in protest against a Kozhikode-based college professor's statement comparing women's breasts to watermelons.

Meanwhile, a case has been registered by police in Pathanamthitta against the activist for hurting religious sentiments.

The case was registered on the basis of a complaint filed by one Radhakrishna Menon.

TEMPLE TO CLOSE ON MONDAY

The Sabarimala temple opened for pilgrimage on Wednesday, the first day of the Malayalam month of Thulam. Unlike other Hindu temples in Kerala, Sabarimala Sree Dharma Sastha temple is not open the year-round but opens for its devotees for the first five days of every month in the Malayalam calendar, as well as during the annual ‘mandalam’ and ‘makaravilakku’ festivals between mid-November to mid-January. The temple will be closed on Monday after which the shrine is to be shut for the rest of the month.

Kerala has been witnessing protests against the entry of girls and women of menstrual age into Sabarimala temple since the government had said it would abide by the ruling of the apex court.

The agitation intensified since the shrine was opened for the five-day monthly pooja on October 17.

On September 28, a five-judge Constitution bench of the SC, headed by then chief justice Dipak Misra, lifted the centuries-old ban on the entry of women of menstrual age into the shrine.

The Centre on Friday asked the southern states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka to tighten security in view of the continuing protests against the Supreme Court order allowing entry of women of all age groups to Sabarimala temple.