Activist Trupti Desai, along with with four members of the Bhumata Brigade, has arrived in Kochi to visit the Sabarimala temple on November 26. Bindu Ammini, who visited the hill shrine last year, too joined them. However, the activists are staying put at Kochi Commissionerate as they seek protection, which the police are not willing to entertain.
Here are the live updates:
Trupti Desai, activists leave for airport
Tripthi Desai and team leaves for Kochi airport from the City Police Commissionerate, in Kochi on November 26, 2019.
Trupti Desai and other activists leave for Kochi airport from the Kochi City Police Commissionerate after a standoff that lasted for several hours on Tuesday.
Trupti Desai, six activists to return from Kochi
Trupti Desai and team will leave for airport shortly from the Kochi Police Commissionerate.
Five of the six activists who came along with Ms. Desai are scheduled to leave for Bengaluru in a 10.30 p.m. flight. One another activist will leave by an early morning flight to Delhi on November 27. — reports M.P. Praveen from Kochi
Protest resumes in front of city Police Commissionerate
Protest resumes in front of Kochi city police commissionerate as the six activists continue to remain cocooned inside.
More than seven hours after the protest against the women activists' proposed visit to Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple was called off, the protesters resumed it in front of the city Police Commissionerate around 6.20 p.m. Police continued to grapple with how to placate the activists who remained steadfast in their decision to visit the hilltop shrine. They kept repeating their three staple demands — extend police protection or give written undertaking about denial of protection or let continue their journey on their own. Police were not willing to concede any of these demands and wanted them to take a flight back. Emerging out of a talk with the police, BJP leader C.G. Rajagopal said that the activists were not willing to take the return flight ticket despite the police attempt to send them back by a flight from the Kochi airport shortly after midnight. "We resumed the protest before the Commissionerate in view of the continuing stalemate and to preempt any attempt by the activists to travel to Sabarimala," a protester said. — reports M.P. Praveen from Kochi
Standoff between women activists and police enters eighth hour
The standoff between the six activists led by Trupti Desai and the city police continues unabated at the Kochi Commissionerate with the former remaining adamant on their decision to go to Sabarimala Temple and the latter having none of it.
The activists continued to be cocooned inside the office of the District Police Chief (Kochi City) even hours after the protestors had called off their siege of the Commissionerate following the assurance from the police that the activists will not be given security to proceed to Sabarimala. - M.P. Praveen
Won't use force on women activists: K.P.Philip
Additional Commissioner K. P. Philip has ruled out using force to resolve the imbroglio involving six women activists.
Talking to media outside the commissionerate Mr. Philip said that the activists insist on either be given police protection to undertake the trip to Sabarimala or be given a written undertaking by the police denying protection.
He said that neither of these demands could be accepted while the activists on the other hand were not willing to concede the police request to drop their plan and return.
BJP, Sangh Parivar not behind the attack, says Kummanam Rajasekharan
Former State president of the Bharathiya Janata Party Kummanam Rajasekharan told journalists that neither the BJP nor the Sangh Parivar had anything to do with the attack on Ms. Ammini. He said the person arrested in connection with the incident was not a member of the party.
Mr. Rajasekharan said the Government’s lack of commitment to protecting customs and practices unique to Sabarimala lay at the heart of the latest outbreak of protests by devotees. The State should take a clear stance in the SC to protect Sabarimala faith, Mr Rajasekharan said, adding that devotees would resist any move to dilute religious customs in Sabarimala.
Devaswom Minister alleges conspiracy in protests against Trupti Desai
Kerala Devaswom Minister Kadakampally Surendran condemned the ‘pepper spray’ attack against Ms. Ammini in strong terms.
However, he said the “set piece” protests against the activists appeared to be part of a bigger conspiracy to disrupt the pilgrimage and sow seeds of unrest in Kerala.
Mr. Surendran said a national channel had interviewed Ms. Desai and her compatriots when they alighted at the Kochi International Airport.
The channel broadcast their intention to journey to Sabarimala and their temporary stop at the office of the Commissioner for police to seek the law enforcement’s protection.
Soon, Sangh Parivar activists gathered outside the police facility and raised a noisy protest. It seemed they had a prescient warning about the arrival of Ms. Desai and her supporters, he said.
“The entire chain of events seemed preset and smacked of a plot to disrupt the pilgrimage,” Mr. Surendran told journalists. He said the attempt to unleash trouble had come at a time when the pilgrimage was progressing smoothly, and offering from devotees had touched an all-time high.
State Women’s Commission opens inquiry into ‘pepper spray’ attack
The Kerala State Women’s Commission has opened an inquiry into the pepper spray attack on women activist Bindu Ammini in Kochi.
KSWC chairperson and central committee member of the CPI(M) M. C. Josephine expressed shock at the incident. She told The Hindu that the Commission had registered a case on its own and initiated legal proceedings against the perpetrators.
Hindu Aikya Vedi asks Kerala govt. to ‘come clean on conspiracy’
R.V. Babu, State general secretary of the Hindu Aikya Vedi, has asked the Kerala government to come clean on what he alleged was a conspiracy behind the sudden visit of activists led by Bhumata Brigade activist Trupti Desai for Sabarimala pilgrimage.
Talking to reporters on the sidelines of the protest outside the Kochi Commissionerate against the visit, Mr. Babu alleged that the conspiracy was hatched by activist Bindu Ammini, who had offered prayer at Sabarimala Temple under police security last year.
Kerala police to not offer security to activists
Bindu Ammini, rights activist, arguing with police outside the City Police Commissioner's Office in Kochi on Tuesday morning.
Police have made it clear that they will not offer security to the group of activists led by Trupti Desai who had descended in the city in the early morning hours on Tuesday.
A senior officer on condition of anonymity categorically ruled out any prospect of police security to the activists to undertake pilgrimage to Sabarimala. Neither would they be allowed to undertake the visit on their own on account of their security.
Police are checking the availability of return tickets for the activists from the Kochi airport.
No matter what happens, will go to Sabarimala, says Trupti Desai
The group of seven women who arrived in Kochi on November 26 will go ahead to Sabarimala whether or not police protection is guaranteed, said activist Trupti Desai.
“We arrived here on Constitution Day because the right to not be discriminated against is a right given to us by the Constitution. Instead, women like us come seeking protection and get attacked instead,” she said.
‘Pepper spray’ attack on woman as Trupti Desai arrives in Kochi
High drama unfolded in the city when six women activists led by Pune-based Bhumata Brigade leader Trupti Desai descended here early on Tuesday with the objective of offering ‘darshan’ at the hilltop Ayyappa Temple at Sabarimala.
Bindu Ammini, who had managed to offer prayers at Sabarimala Temple under police security last year, was sprayed with a liquid, seemingly pepper spray, on her face at the Kochi Commissionerate office.
Earlier, the team arrived at the Cochin International Airport Limited at Nedumbassery by the Indigo Airline flight from Pune at 4.17 a.m. Their arrival went completely under the radar as the visit was kept under the wraps unlike more than a year back when Ms. Desai and her entourage were restricted to the airport by protesters of the Sangh Parivar outfits. They had to make a retreat after a more than 13 hours standoff.
Trupti Desai reaches Kochi en route to Sabarimala
Bhumata Brigade leader Trupti Desai. File
Bhumata Brigade leader and Pune-based rights activist Trupti Desai, accompanied by four group members, have reached Kochi en route to Sabarimala on November 26 morning.
They reached the Nedumbassery airport by 5 a.m. and later proceeded to the City Police Commissioner's office in Kochi and would seek police protection to visit Sabarimala. They are waiting at the visiting area of the Kochi Commissionerate office with a demand to meet District Police Chief (Kochi City) Vijay Sakhare. Mr. Sakhare, however, is away at Thiruvananthapuram attending a meeting. “Additional commissioner will shortly meet them at my office and they can place whatever demand they have to him,” he said.
(With inputs from Agencies)
