Kochi (Kerala): Social activist and founder of Bhumata Brigade, Trupti Desai, who was unable to exit the Cochin International Airport due to protests being carried out against her visit, said that the state police have advised her to go back to Pune.
“The cab drivers and hotel owners were threatened by the protestors here that if they will provide us shelter, then they will face a law and order situation. It feels sad that the devotees of Lord Ayyappa are abusing and threatening us,” Desai told reporters here.
“More than 500 women have done bookings to visit the Sabarimala Temple. I would appeal to the government to provide a security which can take women to the temple. Our fight is for equality. The Kerala police have requested us to take this decision. If we will stay here then violence can erupt. This was never our agenda,” she added.
Desai reached Kochi this morning to visit the Ayyappa Temple in Sabarimala.
As the Temple reopened today, Section 144 of Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) was imposed in Nilakkal, Pamba and Sannidhanman as a precautionary measure.
The social activist on Wednesday wrote a letter to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, stating that she would not leave the state if she were not allowed to enter the Sabarimala Temple.
This is the third time that the Temple has opened after the Supreme Court lifted restrictions on the entry of women into the temple. So far 3,505 protestors have been arrested and around 529 cases were registered in connection with a series of incidents of violence in the state after the opening of the temple gate in October.
[source_without_link]ANI[/source_without_link]