Indian women who entered Sabarimala get police protection

Dubai - One person was killed and scores injured in protests after the women entered the temple.

The women who entered Kerala's Sabarimala temple amid protests are now under police protection as protesters continued rioting across the state, said the husband of one of the women.

Bindu Ammini and Kanaka Durga on Wednesday entered the hilltop temple in the south Indian state, where protests have been continuing for more than three months, after a Constitution bench of India's top court ruled that everybody, including women, can enter the Hindu temple. The temple had a restriction against women of menstruating age entering or offering prayers there.

One person was killed and scores injured in state-wide protests and counter protests on Wednesday and Thursday. The shutdown called by organisations that support the temple customs and the Bharatiya Janata Party turned violent in all the districts of the state on Thursday.
Police fire tear gas at protesters

KV Hariharan, husband of Bindu, told Khaleej Times over phone from Kerala that both the women are safe now. "I can't reveal their location or any other details because their lives are under threat. What I can reveal now is that they are safe under police protection."

Hariharan was with his wife and her friend while they entered the shrine early morning on Wednesday. He refuted allegations by Hindu right-wing protesters that the temple entry was a handiwork of Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
Outrage on social media after women enter Sabarimala

"Bindu and Kanaka Durga had made an attempt to enter the temple on December 23 last year. However, after violent protests, the police had forcibly taken them back against their will. Bindu started fasting after that, demanding that they should be allowed to enter the temple. That time, the government authorities assured them that they would be given an opportunity to go to the temple and have 'darshan'. Their entry this time was just a continuation of the earlier effort," he added.

"Along with Bindu, Kanaka Durga and myself, there were three more friends who accompanied us. We met at Pamba valley and then walked up to the temple in separate routes. Of course, the police offered protection to us."

Hariharan said though there are threats against him, he is safe with some of his friends. "If we feel that we have any safety issues, we will have to seek police protection."

To a question on how long the women will have to live in hiding, Hariharan said: "This can't continue for ever. We knew that we would be risking our lives when we started the journey. We have to face it."

He added that the temple entry by Bindu and Kanaka Durga was not an individual issue. "This is a very broad issue. Indian constitution and its judiciary are being threatened by a small group here. It has been developed through years with collective effort of many of our nation's builders. The move by Bindu and Kanaka Durga was not just a case of entering the temple. It is an issue of safeguarding our constitution and the principle of gender equality," added Hariharan.

We are not Maoists

To an allegation by Bharatiya Janata Party and protesters against Bindu and Kanaka Durga, who entered Sabarimala temple, Bindu's husband KV Hariharan, who accompanied the duo to the temple, said both of them had no affiliation with any political party.

"They are alleging that we are Maoists. Bindu is teaching at the Govt Law College in Calicut. We worked with Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) earlier. But that is not a banned Maoist organisation but a political party that is working in a democratic way. However, we left our affiliation with the organisation 10 years back. Now, we have no political affiliation," he added.

• India