Woman who made it to Sabarimala thrown out by in-laws

Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 22: One of the two women, who became the first in menstruating age to offer prayers in centuries at the Sabarimala temple in Kerala's Pathanamthitta district, was not allowed into her in-laws' house on Tuesday.

The incident occurred nearly a week after Kanaka Durga's mother-in-law allegedly assaulted her, following which she had to be admitted to the Kozhikode Medical College.

Kanaka Durga filed a complaint with the District Violence Protection Officer after her in-laws locked her out of the house.

Thirty-nine-year-old Kanakadurga and Bindu Ammini, 40, had tried to enter the temple on December 24 but were forced to retreat after devotees protested. After their failed attempt both refused to return home and were under police protection. They finally made it to the temple on January 2.

Last week, the Supreme Court had directed the state government to provide round-the-clock protection to both the women after they had petitioned the top court seeking security fearing for their lives.

The temple has witnessed violent incidents since the top court's verdict on September 28 last year, which threw open temple doors for women of all ages. The tense situation in the temple and its base camps affected both footfall and revenue.