Rain halts Dalit woman's Sabarimala trek, Cops to conduct background check

Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 20: A 38-year-old woman from Kerala, attempting to be the first woman of menstrual age to pray at the Lord Ayyappa shrine in Sabarimala has aborted her plans for the trek today after heavy rain in the area.

Manju, the general secretary of a Dalit outfit in Kerala arrived at the Pamba base camp this morning and was to start trekking the last 5-km to the Sabarimala temple, where protesters are lying in wait to stop any attempt by women of menstruating age to enter the shrine of Lord Ayyappa nestled in the Western Ghats.

Her attempt comes a day after three women, including a journalist, were forced to abort their pilgrimage in the face of vehement protests by devotees and an ultimatum by the temple priest to lock the shrine if any female pilgrim entered.