Pamba: Reshma Nishanth and Shanila Sajesh, the two women devotees who abandoned their plan to worship at the Sabarimala temple following unrelenting protests on Wednesday morning, said both of them had been observing ‘vrath’ or the mandatory penance prior to the pilgrimage.

Police officers in charge of security at the hill shrine had to resort to force to make them return without offering prayers.

“We waited till the conclusion of Makaravilakku festivities so that we could have a peaceful darshan at Sabarimala. There were only a small number of protesters. If the police were purposeful, they could have easily removed the agitators and paved way for us to reach the Sannidhanam,” said Reshma Nishanth.

“The protestors were so aggressive - we felt they wanted to eliminate us for attempting to visit the temple. Ironically, we believe in the same God whom they are trying to protect from us. We have been observing penance for the past 100 days. As per belief, to return to worldly affairs, we will have to remove our black attire and sacred garland that we have been wearing since we started to follow the penance guidelines. How can we take off the black dress and holy chain, that symbolise the renunciation of worldly pleasure, without having darshan of Lord Ayyappa. The devotees should advise us on that,” Reshma, who hails from Irinavu in Kannur district, said.

The two women arrived at Neelimala from the main base camp at Nilakkal on Wednesday morning. “Nobody had protested or attempted to stop us until we reached Pamba in a KSRTC bus. It is unfortunate that the police could do nothing to remove the protestors and ensure our safe passage to the temple. I had been facing threats to my life ever since I openly expressed desire to visit the temple following the Supreme Court verdict. They had even threatened to cut me into pieces if I prayed at the shrine. Today’s protests were nothing compared to the threats I had received of late. I believe everyone is equal before Ayyappa. So, why restrict women?” she asked.

According to Shanila, the number of protestors who tried to prevent them from trekking the hill was only around 10. “Instead of dealing with them sternly, the police blocked us and took us back to Pamba. It is to be mentioned that there were no genuine devotees among the protestors,” she added.

On January 3, Kanakadurga (44) and Bindhu (42) had entered the hill shrine, three months after the Supreme Court allowed women of all age groups to enter the temple.

Violence involving BJP-RSS and the ruling CPI(M) rocked parts of Kerala during the January 3 hartal with several houses and shops of rival leaders and workers being attacked over the women's entry into the temple.

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