Highlights
- "I am doing everything that the law says": S Sreejith, senior officer
- S Sreejith, Inspector General, requested protesters to follow court order
- Sabarimala priests threatened to stop prayers and shut down the temple
Just minutes away from the last 18 steps to the Sabarimala shrine, hundreds of protesters stood in front of policemen, determined to stop two women from entering the temple.
Around 300 policemen had escorted the women on a five-km walk to the hilltop shrine, which has opened for the first time since the Supreme Court ended a ban on women of menstruating age or between 10 and 50 entering the temple of Lord Ayyappa. Two hours later, they were escorting the women back, without completing the journey.
"It's a ritualistic disaster. We took them up to the temple and gave them protection but 'darshan' is something which can be done with consent of the priest. We will give them whatever protection they want," said S Sreejith, the Inspector General of Police, who led the heavy police escort.
The two women were about 500 metres from the holy steps to the shrine, surrounded by policemen in riot gear, as a wall of devotees blocked their path.
"I am not going back on the stance. I am doing everything that the law says. Those women have the right to be here. I am not going back without taking them to the shrine. It is a temple, kindly stay calm," Mr Sreejith appealed to the protesters, requesting them to follow the top court's orders and let him complete his mission. "I am also an Ayyappa devotee," he said taking off his helmet and riot gear, as he attempted to negotiate a way through for the women.
At the temple, a group of priests sat on the holy steps in protest, chanting and clapping, an unprecedented sight.
Finally, the women agreed to turn back as the protests escalated and Sabarimala priests threatened to stop prayers and shut down the temple.
"The government will give escort to every genuine believer, but activists will not be allowed to turn Sabarimala into a place to prove themselves," said the Kerala government's Devasom Board minister, Kadamkapally Surendran.
"The government is focused on protecting the interest of every devotee. But now I understand today, it's activists who have tried to go up," said the minister.