Sabarimala standoff: Two women who attempt to enter shrine returns
Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 19 (IBNS): Failing to create history, two women- an activist and a journalist- who on Friday attempted to enter Kerala's Sabrimala Temple, which has now been opened for female persons across all age groups, returned without entering the shrine, media reports said.
The two women turned back after the priest said he will shut the temple, report said.
One hundred and fifty police personnel had escorted the two women to the shrine.
Women of a particular age group were banned from entering the temple for decades as part of the religious practice.
However, protests have rocked the state in recent times over the verdict with demonstrators not supporting the order of allowing menstruating women (aged between 10 and 50) from entering the temple.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday blamed right-wing Hindu organisation Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) for the violence over the Sabarimala issue by backing up the perpetrators, opposing the Supreme Court's verdict to allow women inside the famous shrine that opened its gate on Wednesday for all devotees.
Vijayan said that the attackers enjoyed the backing of the RSS.
As the gate of the temple was set to open on Wednesday for the first time since the Supreme Court passed its judgement with the likelihood of women trying to enter, protesters, keeping a vigil against any such eventuality, turned aggressive, intimidating and hounding female devotees who tried to venture into the shrine, beating up women journalists and clashing with the police.
Antharashtriya Hindu Parishad led by Parvin Togadia called for a hartal demanding that the Pinarayi Vijayan government should bring a law to overturn the Supreme Court verdict. A five-judge bench of the Supreme Court on September 28 had lifted the ban on women's entry into the Sabarimala temple declaring the relevant rules as unconstitutional.
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