Sabarimala Temple Reopens Today: Activist Trupti Desai Stuck at Airport For 5 Hours Amid Protests
Desai had written to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, seeking protection to visit the Sabarimala temple. In her letter, she had stressed that the Constitution guarantees her the right to practice her religion.
Kochi, November 16: Activist Trupti Desai, heading towards the Sabarimala temple which reopens today, is stranded at the Kochi airport for five hours amid protests outside. Sensing trouble, the Kerala government has imposed Section 144 (CrPC) Nilakkal , Pamba and Sannidhanam -- from where the devotees begin the trek to the hilltop Lord Ayyappa shrine.
Desai had written to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, seeking protection to visit the Sabarimala temple. In her letter, she had stressed that the Constitution guarantees her the right to practice her religion. Sabarimala Verdict: Why These 5 Arguments in Favour of Restricting Women’s Entry Into the Ayyappa Temple Are Baseless.
On being subjected to protests at the Kochi airport, Desai said she would not be deterred. "“I will go ahead come what may. I will not go back without the darshan of Lord Ayyappa," she said, adding that the protesters outside are not devotees but hooligans.
The protests outside the Kochi airport are being staged by volunteers of religious organisations, workers of the BJP and its ideological affiliate groups. They have demanded Desai to leave to return immediately. "The only way the police can take her to Sabarimala is over our dead body," said one of the agitators.
Notably, Desai had earned fame in 2016 when she broke a 60-year-old tradition at Maharashtra's Shani Shingnapur temple by entering into sanctum sanctorum. The tradition barred women from entering inside.
Desai's outfit - Bhumata Ranragini Brigade - had undertaken similar campaigns at other religious sites as well, including the Haji Ali Dargah in Mumbai.
Meanwhile, the Kerala government is acting on war-footing to maintain law and order as it struggles to implement the Supreme Court order, dated September 28, 2018, which allows women of menstrual age to enter the Lord Ayyappa shrine.
When the temple was opened up for a brief period between October 17-22 and November 5-6, the government had failed to enforce the judicial order. It faces its most stringent challenge now as over 560 women have registered to visit the Sabarimala temple -- open for a two-month period beginning today.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 16, 2018 10:56 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).