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Never-before break in puja at Sabarimala temple triggers protests in Kerala

Hindustan Times, Thiruvananthapuram | By
Oct 19, 2018 03:37 PM IST

Sabarimala temple priests stopped their puja and threatened to close the temple as two women, journalist Kavitha Jakkal and activist Rehana Fathima, stood 500 metres from the sanctum sanctorum.

Protests erupted in many places in Kerala on Friday over the disruption of pooja in Sabarimala earlier in the day shortly before two women – a journalist and an activist – were forced to return from the vicinity of the temple following a threat by its chief priest to shut it down if they entered the shrine.

Furious devotees claimed that pooja at the temple dedicated to Lord Ayyappa was disrupted for one hour which had never happened before. The temple had opened for monthly rituals on Wednesday.

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As tension mounted even after high drama forced the two women to return, the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) which runs the temple, called another meeting in the afternoon in the state capital. TDB president A Padmakumar said he was open for discussion. (Follow live updates here)

“It is a most painful day. I told everyone if women enter the holy steps. I will close temple and I will go back to my house. I am with devotees. I can’t be a part to violation of temple rituals,” Tantri (chief priest) Rajeevaru Kandarau told HT. There are 18 steps that lead to the temple’s sanctum sanctorum.

After the threat of temple closure, the women, journalist Kavitha Jakkal and activist Rehana Fathima were escorted to the base camp Pambha. Inspector general of police S Sreejith who had escorted the two women said it was a ‘ritualistic disaster.’

“It’s a ritualistic disaster. We took them up to temple and gave them protection but ‘darshan’ is something which can be done with consent of priest. We will give them (the two women) whatever protection they want,” Sreejith said, according to ANI.

“People, not the devotees, who want to disrupt peace didn’t allow us to enter. I want to know what the reason was. Tell me, in which way one needs to be a devotee. You tell me that first and then I will tell you if I’m a devotee or not,” said Fathima whose house in Kochi was vandalised in the morning.

This is the second successive day that women were denied entry into the temple despite a Supreme Court order after two other women including New York Times reporter Suhasini Raj were stopped on Thursday.

The two women were stopped a short distance away from the Sabarimala temple. The government had earlier insisted that it would do all that is needed to ensure that women are allowed to offer prayers in line with a Supreme Court order.

As tension mounted, the government tried to allay fears of a crackdown against devotees opposing the entry of women saying it would not use force.

Temple affairs minister Kadakampally Surendran also said devotees won’t be forcibly evicted and told the police to avert a showdown.

Surendran also pulled up the police for allowing Fathima to head for the temple which he said was a lapse.

“People of all ages will be allowed to go there. But at the same time we won’t allow it to be a place where activists can come and showcase their power. It can’t be a place where they prove certain points of theirs,’’ ANI quoted Surendran as saying.

Tension soared in the morning with the erstwhile royal family of Pandalam, who are the custodians of the Sabarimala temple, asking the Tantri to close the doors of the shrine as two women headed for the temple under police protection.

The opposition also took on the government after one of the two women was seen in police riot gear.

“Not only Hindus but people from all religions are going there. Everyone is worried. The woman activist (Rehana Fathima) was given a police uniform. It was wrong,” said opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala of the Congress after meeting governor Palanisamy Sathasivam.

The state unit of the BJP which is backing the devotees also waded into the imbroglio, seeking action against police officials who “enacted a drama hurting religious feelings of devotees which led to disruption of temple rituals”.

The day’s events also took a communal turn over Fathima’s faith. K Surendran, general secretary of the BJP’s Kerala unit asked the Muslim community to desist from such moves.

“It is a move against Hindus,” said Surendran. He also put Sreejith in his line of fire.

“How was a woman was given police uniform? It is a violation of the Police Act. The government should take action IGP Sreejith for enacting a dirty drama,” Surendran said.

Earlier, Kavitha and Fathima started their journey at 6.50 am amid heavy rain under police protection from Pambha, the base of the hilltop temple, police said.

“The highest court has given the green signal. My trip is to uphold women’s rights” she said.

But for Kaviitha and Fathima, Sabarimala remained a temple too far.

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