Rahul Easwar, president of the Ayyappa Dharma Sena, which is among the organisations protesting against the entry of women of all ages into the Sabarimala, on Friday threatened that social activist Trupti Desai will have to step on the chest of protestors to enter the shrine.
Rahul Easwar, president of the Ayyappa Dharma Sena, which is among the organisations protesting against the entry of women of all ages into the Sabarimala, on Friday threatened that social activist Trupti Desai will have to step on the chest of protestors to enter the shrine.
Trupti Desai, who has vowed to offer prayers at the hill shrine, along with six other young women associates, was blocked from leaving for Sabarimala from Nedumbassery Airport in Kochi, as a large number of devotees staged a "nama japam" protest clapping hands and chanting 'Swamiye Ayyappa'.
The founder of Bhumata Brigade, Desai and her associates have been held up inside the airport for over ten hours.
"Trupti Desai should go back. She will have to step on our chests and walk over us if she wants to enter Sabarimala Temple," said Activist Rahul Easwar.
However, Desai has asserted that she will not return unless she visits the temple. "Police tried to evacuate us from another gate but protesters were there as well. Does this mean protesters are scared that we'll reach Sabarimala once we reach Nilakkal? Or are they trying to scare us? We won't return until we have darshan," she said.
There is heavy deployment of police personnel in and around Sabarimala temple as it opens at 5 pm this evening for the "Mandala Makkaravillakku" puja in the backdrop of protests witnessed during the previous two occasions when the shrine opened.
Over 15,000 personnel, including women police personnel and 860 women civil police officers, would be deployed during the season, when lakhs of devotees from different parts of the country are expected to throng the shrine.
Prohibitory orders under Section 144 CrPC banning assembly of four or more people is also in force in and around Sabarimala from midnight Thursday for a week.
This is the third time the shrine is opening since the apex court lifted the age-old ban on entry of women in 10-50 age group, though no girl or woman pilgrim in the age group could offer prayers so far following stiff resistance by devotees and activists, opposing any change in the temple traditions.
As consensus eluded a crucial all-party meeting called by Chief Minister, Pinarayi Vijayan Thursday to resolve the issue, Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) which manages the shrine, is meeting legal experts today on the possibility of filing a petition in the apex court seeking time to implement the September 28 order.
(With agency inputs)
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