Sabarimala: Don’t send young women journalists to cover the event, Hindu outfits ask media house

A day before the opening of Sabarimala temple on Monday, November 5, Hindu outfits protesting against the entry of women aged 10 to 50 to temple have urged media not to send young women reporters or journalists to cover the event.

The Sabarimala temple will open for a day on Monday, for the second time since the apex court overturned a centuries-old order barring woman of age 10-50 from entering into Sabarimala temple.

The police are on high alert and tight security arrangements are in being put place in view of the protests over the entry of women of menstrual age last month.

The 'appeal' was issued by Sabarimala Karma Samiti, a joint platform of right wing outfits, including the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) and the Hindu Aikyavedi, ahead of the temple's brief opening, which will be the second time after the Supreme Court allowed entry of girls and women in the age group of 10-50 into it.

When the temple opened for monthly puja for five days last month, first time after the court order, women reporters, on their way to cover the occasion, were heckled, their vehicles attacked and young female devotees forced to turn back as protesters, including activists of Hindu fringe groups, laid a siege to the road leading to Sabarimala.

In its letter to editors, a copy of which was released to the media, the samiti said even the entry of women journalists belonging to this age group as part of their job was also likely to aggravate the situation.

"Recognising your right to support or oppose the devotees stand on this issue, we hope you will not take a stand which would aggravate the situation," it said.

The doors of the temple will be opened Monday evening for puja on the occasion of "Chithira Aattavisesham" on Tuesday, the birthday of last King of Travancore, Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma.

The temple will be closed at 10 pm on Tuesday but would reopen for darshan from November 17 for the three-month long annual pilgrim season.

The samiti said devotees belonging to all denominations in Kerala and other parts of the country and even abroad were on a path of 'unabated' agitation subsequent to the apex court judgement allowing entry to young women at the Sabarimala Temple against the wish of the large majority of devotees.

It alleged that even though the Supreme Court has decided to hear the review and writ petitions on the issue on November 13, the state government was intentionally ignoring the "mass movement" against the judgment and was trying to 'hastily' enforce it using police force.

"In such a situation, the devotees are left with no other choice but to continue with the peaceful agitation," it said.

The whole issue is about the adamant stand of the state government in forcibly bringing in young women aged between 10 and 50 years which is against the age-old traditions and customs of the Sabarimala Temple, the samiti said.

with PTI inputs