Palakkad: Six young women from Tamil Nadu, who planned to enter the Vavar mosque at Erumely, have been taken into custody by the police. They are activists of the Hindu Makkal party and hail from Tirupur and Tirunelveli.
The women, intercepted at Velanthavalam check-post, were reportedly accompanied by three men. According to the women, they wanted entry into the Vavar mosque as restrictions on women at Sabarimala temple being removed. But the police, anticipating trouble, took them into custody. The vehicle in which the women were travelling was also seized. Interrogation of the women is on.
The police have been on alert after receiving information that more women activists from Tamil Nadu are on their way to Kerala. As part of the security arrangements, more personnel have been stationed at check-posts for scanning people arriving to Kerala.
Earlier, a woman pilgrim part of a 70-member group from Sri Lanka was blocked by the police at Nilakkal as she did not carry the necessary documents. Most of the group members hailed from Sri Lanka and UK.
As the woman could not produce any proof of her age, she told the police that she was calling off the Sabarimala pilgrimage. Moreover, the woman said she did not wish to spark a fresh controversy.
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