Fresh tension at Sabarimala Temple as 2 women try to enter Lord Ayyappa shrine

The Sabarimala Temple premises witnessed fresh tension on Wednesday morning after two women tried to trek up to the hill shrine of Lord Ayyappa in Kerala. The two were stopped by agitating protestors at Neelimala, around a kilometre from the base camp at Pamba. The police were present on the spot and the women were taken to safety by the police in a vehicle. They had earlier refused return without offering prayers, saying they followed the 41-day penance. The two women are part of a nine-member group who were on their way to the temple. 

"There is Ayyappan there. Ayyappan has no objection to women entering the temple. Why are these people protesting then?" one of the women, from north Kerala's Kannur, reported NDTV. Activist Rahul Easwaran backed the protestors and tweeted: "1 more Victory for #Hindu Resistance Huge protests erupt for #SaveSabarimala .. some leftists with 2 young women tried to intrude into #Sabarimala Devotees from different states spontaneously gather and resist the young women, leftist group and police Young women returned (sic)".

On Monday, 44-year-old Kanakadurga, one of the two women who had entered the Sabarimala temple defying tradition earlier this month, was rushed to a hospital after being thrashed by her mother-in-law following an altercation on the issue. Kanakadurga had been in hiding for the past two weeks after the darshan of Lord Ayyappa at the Sabarimala shrine due to security reasons. When she reached home in Perinthalmanna on Tuesday morning, she had a verbal duel with her in-laws who opposed her entry at the temple. Kanakadurga alleged that her mother-in-law allegedly beat her up with a wooden plank and she was taken to the hospital.

Read More | Kanakadurga, woman who entered Sabarimala temple, thrashed by mother-in-law, hospitalised

Kanakadurga suffered head injuries and is admitted to a government hospital at Perinthalmanna in northern Malappuram district, the police said. "My mother-in-law beat me up severely with the wooden plank," Kanakadurga told TV channels from the hospital.

Reports also suggest her mother-in-law also got admitted to the hospital later alleging that Kanakadurga had assaulted her. Both Kanakadurga's in-laws and her own family had opposed her decision to enter the Sabarimala temple taken in view of the landmark September 28 Supreme Court verdict permitting women of all age groups into the shrine.