Two women below the age of 50 allegedly entered the Sabarimala temple in Kerala Wednesday, with the help of police in civil dress.
Two women below the age of 50 allegedly entered the Sabarimala temple in Kerala Wednesday, with the help of police in civil dress.
The women, Bindu and Kanakadurga, reportedly started their climb around midnight and reached inside the sanctum sanctorum early morning. A recording of their entry into the shrine has been doing rounds on WhatsApp.
The women, in their 40s, are believed to have got darshan at 3:45 am with the help of the police. According to the video footage, the women have not climbed the sacred 18 steps, used by pilgrims who take the 41-day vow and carry the sacred offering of ‘irumudikettu‘. They have used a side entrance, used by VIPs and the media, which gets them directly in front of the sopanam and into the sanctum of the temple. They later returned to Pamba.
The two women, both residents of north Kerala, had previously tried to climb up to Sabarimala in the last week of December but had been blocked by massive protests. Police officials at the base camp in Pampa said they were unaware of the two women’s whereabouts. The District police chief is not responding to calls. Read in Malayalam
Tight security arrangement has been made at Kanakadurga’s house in Malappuram, fearing protests. Her family has also been shifted to a safe location. The Travancore Devaswom Board and the priest’s family are checking the camera footage to verify the claims.
Ayyappa Dharma Sena leader Rahul Easwar, who spearheaded the protests against the apex court’s verdict allowing the entry of women below 50, said the chances of the two women making it inside the shrine are “extremely less” and that they would verify the footage and take appropriate action. “I think they are lying. The chances are extremely less and there are over 1 lakh male devotees. We have to verify (the videos)…but the chances are very less. We will see and take the appropriate action,” he told NDTV.
Women in the age group of 10-50 years are traditionally barred from entering the Sabarimala temple. But the Supreme Court, through its September 28 landmark verdict, lifted the curb and permitted women of all age groups to offer prayers at the temple. Massive protests rocked Kerala after the Supreme Court verdict. Over a dozen women were stopped by the protesters when they made their way to the shrine. Since the temple first opened after the SC’s judgment, violent protests, a state-wide strike and prohibitory orders have dominated Kerala.
The women, Bindu and Kanakadurga, reportedly started their climb around midnight and reached inside the sanctum sanctorum early morning. A recording of their entry into the shrine has been doing rounds on WhatsApp.
The women, in their 40s, are believed to have got darshan at 3:45 am with the help of the police. According to the video footage, the women have not climbed the sacred 18 steps, used by pilgrims who take the 41-day vow and carry the sacred offering of ‘irumudikettu‘. They have used a side entrance, used by VIPs and the media, which gets them directly in front of the sopanam and into the sanctum of the temple. They later returned to Pamba.
The two women, both residents of north Kerala, had previously tried to climb up to Sabarimala in the last week of December but had been blocked by massive protests. Police officials at the base camp in Pampa said they were unaware of the two women’s whereabouts. The District police chief is not responding to calls. Read in Malayalam
Tight security arrangement has been made at Kanakadurga’s house in Malappuram, fearing protests. Her family has also been shifted to a safe location. The Travancore Devaswom Board and the priest’s family are checking the camera footage to verify the claims.
Ayyappa Dharma Sena leader Rahul Easwar, who spearheaded the protests against the apex court’s verdict allowing the entry of women below 50, said the chances of the two women making it inside the shrine are “extremely less” and that they would verify the footage and take appropriate action. “I think they are lying. The chances are extremely less and there are over 1 lakh male devotees. We have to verify (the videos)…but the chances are very less. We will see and take the appropriate action,” he told NDTV.
Women in the age group of 10-50 years are traditionally barred from entering the Sabarimala temple. But the Supreme Court, through its September 28 landmark verdict, lifted the curb and permitted women of all age groups to offer prayers at the temple. Massive protests rocked Kerala after the Supreme Court verdict. Over a dozen women were stopped by the protesters when they made their way to the shrine. Since the temple first opened after the SC’s judgment, violent protests, a state-wide strike and prohibitory orders have dominated Kerala.