Neelimala (Kerala): Protests broke out at Neelimala in Kerala on Wednesday morning after two women aged below 50 began trekking up the hill to visit the Sabarimala temple.
The women devotees were surrounded by a large number of protesters after they crossed the base camp to begin the trek towards the hill shrine. Kerala Police personnel are present at the spot to handle the situation. Further details are awaited. On September 28 last year, the Supreme Court had lifted the ban on the entry of women aged between 10 and 50 years into the Lord Ayyappa shrine in Sabarimala.
Nearly four months after the verdict, Bindu and Kanakadurga, both aged below 50, entered the Lord Ayyappa temple to offer prayers. After their entry, a purification process took place in the temple, while violent protests broke out across the state with agitators pelting stones and blocking the national highways.