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Woman journalist begins climbing Sabarimala hill

A man washes the golden steps of the Lord Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala on October 18, 2018.

A man washes the golden steps of the Lord Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala on October 18, 2018.   | Photo Credit: AFP

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A posse of police is also escorting the woman

A woman journalist from Andhra Pradesh is being escorted by the IG of Police S. Srijith to the holy hillock of Sabarimala Sannidhanam from Pampa, amid protests from Sangh Parivar activists on Friday morning.

 

A posse of police is also escorting reporter Kavitha. Police have thrown a security ring around the woman who had requested security to go to Sabarimala Sannidhanam to carry out her professional duty.

So far on Friday, there has been no protests by devotees opposing the entry of girls and women of menstrual age into the Lord Ayyappa temple.

The woman is in her late 20s and if she climbed the hills, she would be the first woman from the menstruating age group to visit the Sabarimala temple of Lord Ayyappa after the Supreme Court order permitting women of all age groups to enter the shrine.

On Thursday, the New Delhi-based woman journalist was stopped midway by devotees opposing the entry of women of menstrual age into the hill shrine.

The journalist accompanied by her male colleague, a foreigner, descended the hills from Marakkoottam area in the face of mounting protests.

A case has been registered against devotees who allegedly prevented her trekking and forced her to climb down the hills.

(Inputs from PTI)