Ashram of Swami Sandeepananda Giri, who supported SC's Sabarimala verdict, attacked

Two cars and a two-wheeler which belonged to the ashram, which is situated at Kundamankadavu in Thiruvananthapuram, were set ablaze by the assailants.

Verdict and post-judgement protests:

A five-judge bench of the Supreme Court on Sept 28 had lifted the ban on women's entry into the Sabarimala temple declaring the relevant rules as unconstitutional.  

Following the top court's verdict, the shrine opened on Oct 18 for the first time allowing menstruating women, belonging to the age group of 10 to 50, to enter the temple.

However, several men and women had protested outside the temple, trying to prevent the entry of women in the shrine. The temple was closed last Monday after five-day puja.

Menstruating women were earlier banned from entering the temple for centuries as a part of the religious practice.

Two women- an activist and a journalist- who on Friday attempted to enter Kerala's Sabrimala Temple, returned without entering the shrine.

The two women turned back after the priest threatened to shut the temple if they don't go back.

Protests had rocked the state in recent times over the verdict with demonstrators not supporting the order of allowing women aged between 10 and 50 from entering the temple.

Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan's stand on Sabarimala:

A day after Kerala's Sabarimala Temple was shut without the entry of a single menstruating woman, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has come down hard upon Hindu, right-wing organisation Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), blaming it for not allowing women to enter the shrine, media reports said.

Vijayan was quoted by Times Now, "They (attackers) had been monitoring the movement of these women minute by minute, in order to perpetrate the coordinated attacks. All this is part of the Sangh Parivar’s strategy to turn the temple into a warzone." 

Reiterating the Kerala government's commitment to implement the top court's order, Vijayan said: "The Kerala government had made it clear in front of the Supreme Court that it will implement the verdict. The government had arranged all facilities. Neither the government nor the police tried to block the devotees. The RSS tried to turn SabarimalaTemple into a war zone." 

Vijayan condemns attack on Ashram:

Condemning the attack on the ashram of Swami Sandeepananda Giri, Vijayan said: The attack on the ashram of Swami Sandeepanagiri is apathetic. "

 

Image: Screen grab from Mathrubhumi/Youtube