- >>
- GENDER
On October 16, the 10 day long protest of devotees against the Supreme Court verdict opening the doors of Sabarimala for women, turned aggressive and violent. The zealots , mostly women stopped every vehicle from going beyong Nilackkal to prevent women of menstruating years (10-50) to enter the temple through Pampa ( a site 20 km. away from Nilackkal as lying at the foothills of Sabarimala Temple).
Journalists were attacked with no one allowed to go beyond Nilackkal. Every vehicle, in particular buses, were searched by the vigilantes who took law into their hands, and the police became bystanders due to the absence of women police at the spot. The photographs below seek to capture the tense mood, and the harassment:
Women protestors stopping and searching vehicles at the Nilackkal base camp to prevent women in the 10-50 age group to go beyond to the Sabarmila temple
Journalists attacked: report from here at Nilacckal, we will not let you go to the temple
Protests stop every vehicle on the road
Men protestors sat back and let the women agitate
Protesters chanting "Swamy Sarnam Ayyappa" at the camp
TV channels and news agencies stationed at the camp. They were also not allowed to go to Pampa for coverage and were stopped by the mob
Absence of women police enabled the vigilante women to take law into their own hands and assault bus passengers
