Several journalists covering the Sabarimala protests were attacked by a mob at the Nilakkal base camp, the main gateway to the hill shrine on Wednesday.
Several journalists covering the Sabarimala protests were attacked by a mob at the Nilakkal base camp, the main gateway to the hill shrine on Wednesday.
Protesters blocked and attacked vehicles of journalists from NDTV, CNN-News18, Republic TV and Aaj Tak was also attacked in Pathanamthitta.
Members of tantri (head priest) family and the Pandalam royal family took part in the namajapa (prayer) strike of devotees at Pamba.
Devotees including women sat by the roadside and chanted aloud mantras of Lord Ayyappa, even as armed police personnel was deployed in large numbers at the base camp.
In a video, several men can be seen screaming and surrounding the vehicle of Republic TV journalist Pooja Prasanna while she was inside.
CNN-News18 said that the protesters surrounded the car in which reporter Radhika Ramaswamy was travelling and abused her verbally, asking her to turn back.
"They tried to pull her out, attacked the car, broke the window panes and hit the vehicles with sticks. The goons also vandalised the camera equipment that the crew was carrying," they said in a report.
NDTV said that they were stopped from covering the protests and their reporter Sneha Mary Koshy and cameraperson SP Babu were heckled and asked to leave, their camera was snatched.
Speaking on the development, Kerala Minister KK Shailaja said, "I can predict what is going on there. I think it is intentional. it's dirty politics they (protesters) are playing. We can't say if they are actual devotees. Supreme Court's order is Constitutional and govt is bound to implement it."
Meanwhile, the attempt by a 45-year old woman from neighbouring Andhra Pradesh to trek to the Sabarimala temple failed as protesters prevented her from proceeding to the hill shrine at Pamba, one of the main entry points.
The woman, identified as Madhavi, a native of East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh, would have been the first female to trek the Sabarimala hills after the Supreme Court verdict allowing women of all age groups into the Lord Ayyappa temple.
The incident happened despite the heavy deployment of police personnel in and around Pamba.
Madhavi, along with her family members, attempted to reach the holy hills in the morning via the Swamy Ayyappan road, one of the two forest trekking paths to Sannidhanam (the temple complex) but the group was forced to retreat after protesters blocked their way.
Even though the police personnel gave them protection and allowed them to move further, the family, after walking a short distance, decided to return as angry activists of Ayyappa Dharma Sena surrounded them and asked them to go back.
Talking to reporters at Sannidhanam, temple tantri Kandaru Rajeevaru said the centuries-old rituals and traditions of the Lord Ayyappa shrine should be protected.
The apex court had on September 28 passed a historic judgement lifting the ban on entry of girls and women of menstrual age into the temple, a verdict that was hailed by rights activists but opposed by traditionalists.
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