Women delegation departs from Sabarimala without entering shrine

Pamba (Kerala) [India], Dec 23 (ANI) A group of eleven women who had arrived in Pamba on Sunday to visit the hill shrine in Sabarimala began their return journey without paying obeisance at the shrine after Lord Ayyappa devotees, including women, staged a protest opposing their entry into the temple.
Speaking to ANI, Dr Karthikeyan Gokulachandran, Special Officer, Pamba, said, Protestors gathered at the base camp in Pamba to stop these 11 women trying to trek to the Sabarimala shrine. Because of security issues, they decided to return Tamil Nadu.
Furthermore, Pamba Special Officer (Law and Order) Shaji Sugunan said if more force was used against agitators, a law and order situation may have occurred.
However, one of the devotees had claimed that the state police were not providing them protection to trek to the hill shrine.
We are here since 3.30 am. Police have said that they will provide us with protection but now they are not providing us with protection to trek to the temple, said Selvi, one of the 11 women.
These women had a quest to become the first women falling in the age group of 10-50 years to offer their prayers to Lord Ayyappa after the Supreme Court lifted the centuries-old ban on the entry of women of the said age group.
The Sabarimala temple and surrounding areas witnessed a string of protests after the Supreme Court lifted the ban on entry of women inside the temple in September this year.
Till now, no woman of the previously-forbidden age group has been able to enter the temple due to widespread protests. (ANI)