Sabarimala row : Trupti Desai shut inside airport as protesters block way
Thirunvanthapuram, Nov 16 (IBNS) : Activist Trupti Desai, who wants to enter Kerala's Sabarimala temple in defiance of a decades-old bar on women of menstrual age, has been blocked by hundreds of protesters at the Kochi airport since she landed in the early morning on Friday, media reports said.
The protesters, who staunchly support the age-old bar in defiance of the Supreme Court's order to allow women of all ages into the famous shrine, say they won't allow Trupti Desai and her six colleagues to step out of the airport.
"We landed at the airport by 4:30 am. We have not been able to go out because of these protests. Police has given us protection and have suggested that we wait for now. We have tried to book 3-4 taxis since morning; no one is willing to take us to Sabarimala. We will not leave Kerala without going to Sabarimala," News 18 quoted Desai, a Pune-based activist, as saying.
Reports say groups of protesters have been visiting hotels in Pathanamthitta and asking them not to accommodate Trupti Desai or any women visitors in the "banned" age group.
Trupti Desai had written to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and the state police chief seeking protection to visit the shrine, where no woman has been allowed even after the Supreme Court ruling.
The hilltop shrine will open at 5 pm on Friday for a two-month-long puja in which lakhs of devotees and tourists are expected. This is the third time the temple is opening since the Supreme Court on September 28 allowed women of all ages to enter the shrine.
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