Two women in their 40s fail to make it to hill shrine

Another bid by two women in their forties to trek to the hill shrine of Lord Ayyappa here was foiled Monday by protesting devotees, a day after a similar effort by a group of 11 women failed.

The attempt by the two women - Bindu (42), a CPI(ML) activist from Koyilandy in Kozhikode district, and Kanakadurga (44), said to be a civil supplies employee from Angadipuram in Malappuram - came after 11 women activists of a Chennai-based outfit were prevented from reaching the shrine and chased away by devotees chanting Ayyappa mantras on Sunday.

A case has been registered against 150 people for rioting and causing obstruction, police said.

Though the police at first gave them protection and tried to take them to the temple despite protests, they soon realised that it was dangerous and advised them to abandon their plans.

The two women, who reached Pamba at around 4 am, faced massive protests from devotees at Apachimedu and Marakootam, about one km from 'Sannidhanam' (temple complex), as they were being escorted by police.

Ayyappa devotees surged in large numbers to the narrow pathway while the women were being escorted, and there was a minor scuffle with police for over an hour.

Police tried to evict the pilgrims who shouted "go back" and chanted Ayyappa mantras and a tense situation prevailed with the restive devotees showing no signs of backing off.

Seeing the growing number of protesters, including young children, and to prevent the situation from getting out of hand, the women were advised to return by the police.

Though both women, who had trekked about 4.5 km, initially insisted they would offer prayers at the shrine, Kanakadurga complained of uneasiness shortly thereafter and fainted and had to be rushed to Pamba hospital, police said.

Bindu was also taken to the hospital. Both were later shifted to the Kottayam medical college hospital.

A cameraman of a Malayalam TV channel was injured in a the scuffle between media personnel and police when the former tried to talk to the two women when they were being moved to the hospital.

Bindu told reporters that both were fine and there were no health issues and it was only a ploy by police to shift them to the hospital to prevent them from reaching Sannidhanam.

While Industries Minister E P Jayarajan insisted that the government would not take any stand which will destroy the peace in Sabarimala, Opposition Congress hit out at the Left government, saying it was playing a "double game".

"The protestors are behaving like Taliban militants," Jayarajan said.

Attacking the state government, Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala said it was playing a "double game."
Senior Congress leader and former chief minister Oommen Chandy said the government's interest was to put up a "women's wall" from Kasaragode to Thiruvananthapuram,