Protests Near Sabarimala Turn Violent, Women Journalists Attacked

Women journalists were heckled, their vehicles smashed and young female Ayyappa devotees turned back as hordes of Hindu right activists besieged the road leading to the Sabarimala temple whose gates open for women of menstrual age Wednesday evening for the first time after the Supreme Court's verdict.

The political slugfest over the Kerala government's decision not to file a review petition against the apex court order also escalated as tempers frayed in areas surrounding the hill shrine that were on edge.

Activist Rahul Easwar, a front-ranking leader of the protesters and votary of continuance of the tradition barring girls and women between 10 and 50 years from entering the temple, a custom which the Supreme Court overturned on September 28, was arrested at Pamba at the foothill from where the trek to the shrine begins.

Simmering tension prevailing in Nilackal since morning erupted into raucous rowdyism as scores of activists of fringe groups heckled women journalists of at least four national TV
channels and vandalised their vehicles.

National TV showed protesters wearing black and saffron turbans running after their cars, violently pounding and kicking the vehicles in a bid to stop them from proceeding to Pamba from Nilackal on way to Sabarimala.

Unfazed by violent protests, Madhavi, a gutsy woman from Andhra Pradesh in her 40s, tried to climb the Sabarimala hills to reach the Lord Ayyappa temple but was forced to return to Pamba, menaced by agitated male devotees. She had to be escorted back by police.

Hundreds of policemen could be seen in Pamba, Nilackal and Erumeli--the important landmarks on way to Sabarimala.

Liby, a woman from Kerala's Alappuzha, also in the "banned" age group, was prevented from proceeding to Sabarimala at Pathanamthitta bus terminal. She was escorted to safety by police.

In another incident, a woman reporter of an English online media organisation was asked to get down from a state-owned KSRTC bus here, one of the entry points to the hill shrine of Lord Ayyappa which opened for the first time Wednesday after the apex court order.

The crowd which virtually took control of the Nilackal area also hurled stones at vehicles, including the KSRTC buses on way to Pamba. Stones were also pelted at Police vehicles.
The number of protesters kept swelling by the hour, outnumbering the police personnel posted in Nilackal.

The issue of women of all age groups being allowed into the Lord Ayyappa temple has takes a political turn with the BJP and Congress having extended support to devotees who are protesting against the CPI(M)-led LDF government's decision to implement the Supreme Court verdict and not file a review petition.

However, the Left front government termed the agitation as "politically motivated" and said it would be met politically.

Police evicted members of tantri (head priest) family, including elderly women, and the Pandalam royals who were protesting at Pamba, reciting Ayyappa 'mantras'.

After their eviction, a group of BJP leaders began the namajapa (prayer) meet at the same venue.

PTI