As the stir continued in Kerala over the entry into Sabarimala by two women, A 47-year-old lady from neighboring Sri Lanka became the third woman to make it to the hill shrine after the Supreme Court lifted the age-linked gender bar.
Sources said that Sasikala, who was accompanied by her husband entered the hilltop shrine at around 10.45 pm on Thursday, minutes before it closed after the day’s rituals. However, the 47-year-old lady claimed that he was turned away by police.
Talking to media, Her Husband said, she was not allowed to offer prayers at the temple. He said only his son and he were able to worship at the temple. “There was no protest from devotees. But police sent her back.
However, confusion over the Srilankan stepping into the shrine continued as Minister Kadakampally Surendran said that he had only seen Media reports of the Lankan woman visiting Sabarimala while neither the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) nor the supreme priest (thantri) of the temple confirmed Sasikala’s visit.
The CCTV visuals of Sasikala, a Sri Lankan woman, accompanied by her family members and escorted by the police, were released by the Kerala Government late Thursday night. But the Thantri (the chief priest) and the head priest denied the claims made by the Government.
The Accident came after days when two women in the banned age group entered the Sabarimala temple before dawn. Two women, Kanakadurga (44) and Bindu (42), created history by stepping into the hallowed precincts Shrine guarded by police three months after the Supreme Court’s historic judgment lifting the ban on entry of girls and women between 10 and 50 years of age into the shrine of Lord Ayyappa on Wednesday.
Reportedly, After which the temple was shut for an hour to conduct “purification rituals”.
Kerela is witnessing uproar over the issue with Sabarimala Karma Samithi, an umbrella organization of various pro-Hindutva groups, spearheading protests against the Supreme Court’s September 28 verdict called for the Hartal that began at 6 am on Thursday.
The Entry of two men in the shrine on Wednesday triggered a massive violent protest across the state. As per the reports, Police have arrested 1,718 persons in 1,108 cases registered in connection with the violent protests reported across Kerala and at least 135 police personnel were injured in the attacks.
The Travancore Devaswom Board has sought an explanation from the chief priest of the Lord Ayyappa temple in Sabarimala for the “purification” ritual, held after two women of menstruating age entered the hilltop shrine reported ANI.
Rahul Easwar, who spearheads the protest against allowing young women entry, said Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan is spreading “fake news”. “The Chief Minister wanted to create an impression that more young women are coming to Sabarimala and that young women visiting the temple is becoming a normal affair,’’ he said. Kerela HC grants conditional bail to activist Rahul Esawar
Kerela CM Vijayan taking at jibe at RSS said, “Why have those who held a hartal after two young women entered Sabarimala not called for another hartal again after the entry of another woman? Will there be a hartal in Kerala every time a woman enters the temple?”
The Sabarimala issue has been boiling since the Supreme Court gave a verdict on September 28, hence revoking the ban on women of menstruating age to enter the Ayyappa shrine in Sabarimala temple. Since then, the right-wing religious outfits backed by BJP have been protesting against the verdict. Congress also joined the saffron party in the issue.
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