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, Uma Vishnu
, Shaju Philip
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Updated: October 18, 2018 at 7:02:39 am
The police had to face several charges during the day to disperse agitators blocking the roads leading to Sabarimala. Source: Vishnu Varma
The protests intensified and took a violent turn on Wednesday when Sabarimala Temple opened its doors to worshipers for the first time since the Supreme Court allowed women of all ages to enter the sanctuary. After clashes with worshipers and attacks on women journalists along the road leading to the Lord Ayappa Sanctuary and appeals launched Thursday by marginal groups in favor of a strike, prohibition orders were issued in Pamba and Nilakkal. Despite the assurances of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday that no one will be prevented from entering the Lord Ayappa sanctuary and the heavy security of the police, protesters from Nillakal and Pamba – the two base camps before the temple – fired two pilgrims and heckled, threatened and attacked at least five women journalists and targeted their vehicles.
Madhavi, a 45-year-old woman from Andhra Pradesh, could have become the first woman to travel the Sabarimala Hills and enter the shrine after the verdict of the Supreme Court, but was forced to retreat with her son and daughter by angry militants of Ayharma Dharma. Sena. Another woman traveling to Sabarimala was stopped at a bus stop and was invited back. A Tamil Nadu couple, aged 45 and 40, while on their way to Pamba, was forced to get off a state bus that was reportedly controlled by activists from Sabarimala Achara Samrakshana. . Samiti.
The trouble began hours before the opening of the iron gates of Sabarimala Temple for monthly rituals. Nillakal sank into violence and chaos after clashes between police and thousands of protesters, who opposed the entry of women of all ages and blamed the LDF government for not filing a complaint. review petition.
Road to Sabarimala: What is the pilgrimage for, how was the restriction imposed on women?
The police had to face several charges during the day to disperse agitators blocking the roads leading to Sabarimala. Three police officers and five agitators were injured, but dozens of vehicles, including buses carrying enthusiasts, were damaged. Rahul Easwar, chairman of Ayyappa Dharma Sena and member of the thantri family, was arrested for allegedly preventing women from going to the temple.
During a clash between protesters and police at Nilakkal base camp. (Photo: Vignesh Krishnamoorthy)
In the fray, crowds – wearing scarves and yellow bandages and saffron – openly shook the journalists' fingers and threatened to put away their cameras and go home. The Women's Media Network in India (NWMI) called on the government and police to provide sufficient support and security for journalists covering the protests. Several journalists also went to the secretariat in Thiruvananthapuram to protest the attacks.
Read | Sabarimala: Faith reunites Hindus, say protesters
Republic TV's Pooja Prasanna, India Today's Mousami Singh, Reporter TV's Rajeesh, Radhika Ramaswamy of CNN-News18 and Saritha S Balan of The News Minute were among the attacked journalists and had to be rescued by the police. Police said that a group of media students traveling to Pamba had been forced off a bus and had been ordered to return to Erumeli.
Protesters who oppose that women of menstrual age can enter the temple of Sabarimala sing devotional hymns as they gather at Nilackal, a base camp going to the mountain sanctuary from Kerala (AP)
A video posted on Twitter by Radhika Ramaswamy shows a large group of young men surrounded by scarves and saffron headbands surrounding her car, kicking the door and slamming the window while demanding that she immediately leave Nilakkal. Sneha Mary Koshy, a NDTV journalist, was also seen fighting a number of young men as they crowded around her, manipulating the cameraman and trying to disrupt her work. Whenever they successfully disrupted a reporter's show, they smiled and shouted, "swamiye sharanam Ayappa".
Incidentally, while Tuesday's protests were mostly led by women in Nilakkal on Wednesday, men, mostly aged 20 to 30, took charge of the unrest. The protesting women were largely singing Ayyappa's songs in a tent.
READ How Nilakkal, the base camp of Sabarimala, fell into chaos
Throughout the day, Nillakal and Pamba also attended events organized by different parties, including Congress and the BJP. Senior BJP officials, such as Sobha Surendran, K Surendran and MT Ramesh, took part in prayer meetings and warned the state government to undermine the beliefs of the faithful.
Surendran, secretary general of the BJP, told the Indian Express: "This is a program orchestrated by the Left Front Government. If the faithful defend together this cause (defense of temple traditions), no police or party can stop them. The BJP can not remain a silent spectator when it comes to a matter of serious religious conviction. "
Congress President K Sudhakaran, along with many party leaders, also participated in peaceful protests in Nillakal. Kerala Minister Devaswom, Kadakampally Surendran, said the government would not tolerate the violence in Sabarimala. "RSS criminals who pretend to be devotees have unleashed violence," he said.
Read | Has a woman entered Sabarimala? Social media is full of speculation
According to DGP Loknath Behera, 700 police officers, including 100 women, were deployed in Nilakkal and Pamba. "Police officers have been deployed in all sensitive areas to maintain the situation of maintenance of order. 300 other members of the police, including commandos, will be taken to the shrine and the base stations, "he said. The sanctuary will close again on October 22, after the monthly five-day ritual.
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