Sabarimala Karma Samiti ends protest; Trupti Desai to retreat by evening

Sabarimala protesters, including women, gathered in front of the office in Kerala chanting prayers as part of the protest. According to police sources, they would send back women's rights activist  Trupti Desai to maintain peace in the state.  

Pathanamthitta: Sabarimala Ayyappa devotees and Sabarimala Karma Samiti protesters have decided to end their protest after the police assured them that women would not be allowed to enter the Ayyappa shrine. A group of protesters gathered in front of the commissioner's office in Kochi, Kerala, when they came to know that women's rights activist Trupti Desai and other women were present in the office.

The protesters, including women, gathered in front of the office chanting prayers as part of the protest. According to police sources, the police would send back Trupti to maintain peace in the state.

Trupti Desai reached Kochi airport around 4 am. She sought police protection for her visit to the Lord Ayyappa temple in Sabarimala. Trupti Desai is part of a seven-member team that is headed for the Sabarimala temple.

This is Desai’s second attempt to visit the shrine after protesters barred her entry in November last year. “I will leave Kerala only after offering prayers at the shrine,” the activist said, adding that she has chosen today (November 26) to visit the shrine as it was Constitution Day.

The Supreme Court on November 14 referred the Sabarimala case to a larger bench after reviewing petitions seeking a rethink of the apex court’s 2018 judgment that allowed women between the ages of 10 to 50 to enter the shrine. The top court also observed that the right to worship by an individual cannot outweigh the rights of a religious group.