A raucous group of devotees and Sangh parivar activists on Sunday thwarted the latest attempt by women of childbearing age to visit the Sabarimala temple, charging at a group of 11 from Chennai and sending them running for cover.
Ammini, a woman tribal rights activist from Wayanad in Kerala who too had set off for the shrine, turned back after hearing about the first group’s ordeal.
These were the first entry bids by young women since the main pilgrimage season opened on November 16. Crowds of protesters had foiled similar attempts during a five-day pilgrimage window in October, sometimes by throwing stones, after the Supreme Court overturned a centuries-old rule and threw the shrine open to women of all ages on September 28.
The women from Chennai-based rights group Manithi had outwitted the first line of devotees — who are protesting the Left government’s decision to implement the court order — to reach the Pamba base camp, 5km downhill from the temple.
Led by Selvi Mano, the 11 had driven to Pamba via Madurai, arriving around 3.30am, while the protesters were gathered in large numbers at Kottayam railway station, where many pilgrims alight.
The women had announced their impending visit on Facebook and informed Kerala police, who escorted them from Chennai.
Television footage shows that as they began the temple trek, men donning saffron rakhis — typically worn by activists from the RSS and its affiliates — booed and heckled them.
Riot policemen accompanying the women arrested an initial batch of 12 protesters but within minutes, hundreds of others charged at the women, who turned around and fled.
They later left for Chennai under police escort after a brief meeting with G. Karthikeyan, the special police officer in charge of Pamba.
Selvi contradicted the police claim that they were returning at their own will. “The police forced us to go back, but we will return soon,” she said.
Karthikeyan told reporters it was not possible to use force on the protesters at a time more than one lakh pilgrims were visiting the temple every day.
“Resorting to force will affect the elderly and children,” he said. “The pilgrims’ security is important too.”
An official of the temple governing body, who declined to be named, said any police action on the “narrow, cemented trekking route through forests from Pamba would be dangerous for the thousands of men, women and children”.
Ammini had chosen an alternative and more difficult route. She had arrived at the Erumeli base camp, about 40km from the temple, and had trekked about 2km through dense forests when she learnt about the Chennai group’s experience and agreed to return. She too promised to come back soon.
Asked why the apex court order was not being successfully enforced, K. Surendran, state minister for temple governance, passed the responsibility to the three-member monitoring committee appointed by Kerala High Court.
“This is a matter related to a Supreme Court judgment. The high court has appointed a monitoring committee. I expect the committee to examine this situation,” he said.
