Activist Rehana Fathima arrested for hurting religious sentiment in FB post

Thiruvananthapuram, Nov 27: Activist Rehana Fathima, who attempted to climb Sabarimala in October, has been arrested by the Pathanamthitta police on Tuesday. She has been accused of hurting religious feelings with her "insulting" social media posts on Lord Ayyappa, the deity at Sabarimala shrine.

A case was registered against her on October 30 based on a complaint filed by the Sabarimala Samrakshana Samithi, a group that claims to fight for upholding the "traditions at the temple" accused Fathima of insulting the Hindu religious belief with her social media posts.

Rehana had posted a picture on Facebook on September 30, dressed as an Ayyappa devotee wearing a rudraksha and sporting a patta, with the caption 'Tatvamasi'. The case was registered following a complaint filed by the Sabarimala Samrakshana Samithi alleging that her social media posts has hurt their religious sentiments.

Rehana, along with a woman journalist from Hyderabad had tried to enter the Ayyappa shrine despite ardent protests by devotees against the Supreme Court verdict. She however could not enter the shrine and the Kerala Dewaswom Minister had subsequently called out the 'activists' saying that a temple is no place for such activities.

On October 19, protestors demonstrating against the Supreme Court's decision to allow women of all ages to enter the shrine vandalised her home after she tried to enter the sanctum sanctorum of the temple.

The Muslim body also asked the Ernakulam Central Muslim Jama'ath to revoke her family's Mahallu membership. The council's president A Pookunju said her attempt to enter the temple was against Hindu rituals.