Sabarimala: Two young women forced to return to Pamba after protests

The women were identified as Reshma Nishanth and Shanila.

Nilakkal: Massive protests erupted at Neelimala on Wednesday after two women attempted to trek to the Lord Ayyappa Temple in Sabarimala.

Kannur natives Reshma Nishanth and Shanila reached Nilakkal early morning and began their trek to Sabarimala with police protection. They had come along with five men Shreyas Kanaran, Subhramanyan, Subhan, Mithun and Sajesh. The men were part of Facebook page - Navothana Keralam Sabarimalayileku.

However, when the group reached Neelimala, several devotees identified the young women and began Namajapa protests. The police formed a security ring around the group and arrested seven people who led the protests. Most of the protesters were from the neighbouring states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.

The women were accompanied by five men too.

After the police removed the protesters, the women continued their journey but more devotees flocked to Neelimala. A standoff ensued as both the women and the protesters refused to back off from their respective stands. Reshma Nishanth said that she was a true devotee and urged the police to take them to the temple.

Reshma Nishanth

Both women, who are now under police custody, sat on an indefinite fast demanding that they be allowed to enter the shrine.

Though the women said that they will not back off from their plan to offer prayers at the temple, the police forced them to return as protests mounted. The women were then taken to Pamba police station.

Two women escorted back by police

The cops took into consideration that most of the protesters were from outside the state and any police action on them could lead to unprecedented law and order situation at Sabarimala and could even affect the safety of Keralites in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.

Reacting to the development, Devaswom Minister Kadakampally Surendran termed the act of stopping devotees (women) from visiting Sabarimala 'barbaric.'

"All women who have followed the vritham can enter Sabarimala. The act of stopping devotees from visiting the shrine is barbaric. What's happening at Sabrimala is goondaism," he said.

On January 2, Kanakadurga, 44, and Bindhu, 42, had entered the hill shrine, three months after the Supreme Court allowed women of all age groups to enter the temple.

Following their entry, the head priest decided to close the sanctum sanctorum of the temple in order to perform the purification ceremony.

Violence involving BJP-RSS and the ruling CPI(M) rocked parts of Kerala during the January 3 hartal with several houses and shops of rival leaders and workers being attacked over the women's entry into the temple.