Two women in their forties enters the Sabarimala temple early morning Wednesday. Jan 02,2019

In a first, 2 women below 50 enter temple after SCI verdict

Two women on Wednesday Jan 02,2019 entered Kerala’s Sabarimala temple, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said

Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan said: “It is a fact that the women entered the shrine. Police are bound to offer protection to anyone wanting to worship at the shrine.”

The Kerala Police said it was looking into media reports that two women in their forties had entered the Sabarimala temple early Wednesday Jan 02,2019

According to TV channels, the two women, Kanakadurga, 42, and Bindu, 44, also claimed that they had entered the holy shrine of Lord Ayyappa. They made efforts to enter the shrine in December but had to return due to protests.

Note

The temple had witnessed protests from frenzied devotees over the entry of women in the 10-50 age group in the shrine after the CPI(M)-led LDF government decided to implement a Supreme Court order allowing women of all age to offer prayers

The main opposition Congress-led UDF and the BJP have been opposing the entry of young women, saying they are with the devotees.

Bindu, a college lecturer and CPI(ML) activist from Kozhikode district’s Koyilandy, and Kanakadurga, a civil supplies employee from Angadipuram in Malappuram, had come to Sabarimala on December 24 after 11 women activists of a Chennai-based outfit were prevented from reaching the shrine and chased away by devotees chanting Ayyappa mantras.