Won't leave state if not allowed to enter Sabarimala temple

Trupti Desai

Trupti Desai, founder of Bhumata Brigade, has written to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, stating that she would not leave the state if she were not allowed to enter the Sabarimala temple.

Seeking security for her visit to Sabarimala temple on November 17, Trupti in a letter to Kerala CM Vijayan has threatened to "not leave the state till the time she along with her delegation is not allowed to enter the shrine. Desai has said that she would be visiting the shrine with a delegation of six other women.

"It may be noted that, unless we do not worship at the Sabarimala temple by entering into the sanctum sanctorum, we will not return without worshiping God. We would never leave Kerala," she stated in the letter. She has further urged the government to arrange a vehicle for her delegation and bear the expenses of their stay as well. "Our fight for the entry into the Sanctorum of the temple is for the right of gender equality. This is not a fight against any religion or against devotees," she added.

Desai has claimed that she had been receiving threats on social media platforms. According to the letter, the threats were like, "Trupti Desai, if you ever come to Kerala, you will be cut into pieces. You will be murdered, when you come to Kerala. We will commit suicide."

It is worth mentioning that the women of menstruating age, that is, between 10 and 50, were barred from entering the Sabarimala temple by its officials, who argued that the temple deity Lord Ayyappa had taken a vow of celibacy.

However, a five-judge bench of the Supreme Court headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra in its 4:1 verdict on September 28 said that banning women's entry into the temple is "gender discrimination" and violates the rights of Hindu women. The ruling came after a petition argued that the practice violated gender equality.

Trupti Desai was detained by the Pune Police on October 19 after she along with other women activists threatened to stop Prime Minister Narendra Modi's convoy. She had written to Ahmednagar Superintendent of Police, demanding a meeting with Prime Minister Modi to discuss the Sabarimala issue.

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