The Sabarimala temple was re-opened to devotees late last evening in the midst of continuing protests in and around the hilltop shrine. Today, a group in Kerala has called for a state-wide shutdown over the arrest of Hindu Aikya Vedi KP Sasikala, amid protests over allowing women of menstruating age to enter the Sabarimala temple nestled in the Western Ghats. The shrine is set to be open for a two-month pilgrimage. Some 500 women have registered themselves to visit the shrine to Lord Ayyappa, after the Supreme Court in September overturned a decades-old ban on entry of women between 10 and 50 years. Several women who had trekked to the temple had been turned back by protesters in previous attempts. On Friday, activist Trupti Desai had to spend an entire day at Kochi airport after she was surrounded by protesters determined to stop her from going to Sabarimala.
Here are the live updates on the Sabarimala temple opening:
- BJP leader V V Rajesh asked to leave the Sabarimala shrine
- VV Rajesh stayed at the shrine since yesterday
- The BJP leader would be arrested if he defies police orders
