Don’t send women journalists to Sabarimala: Hindu outfits to media houses

New Delhi: Several Hindu outfits protesting against entry of women of menstrual age into the famous Sabarimala Temple have urged media houses not to send women journalists to cover the issue as the Lord Ayyappa temple is set to open Monday for a special puja.

The ‘appeal’ was issued by Sabarimala Karma Samiti ahead of the temple’s brief opening, which will be the second time after the Supreme Court allowed entry of girls and women in the age group of 10-50 into it.

The samiti has been spearheading the agitation against the SC order lifting an age-old ban on entry of women in menstrual age group into the temple of Lord Ayyappa.

When the temple opened for monthly puja for five days last month, first time after the court order, women reporters, on their way to cover the occasion, were heckled, their vehicles attacked and young female devotees forced to turn back as protesters laid a siege to the road leading to Sabarimala.

In its letter to editors, the samiti said even the entry of women journalists belonging to this age group as part of their job was also likely to aggravate the situation.

The letter said, “Recognising your right to support or oppose the devotees stand on this issue, we hope you will not take a stand which would aggravate the situation.”

The doors of the temple will be opened Monday evening for puja on the occasion of “Chithira Aattavisesham” on Tuesday, the birthday of last King of Travancore, Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma.

The temple will be closed at 10 pm on Tuesday but would reopen for darshan from November 17 for the three-month long annual pilgrim season.