Two women defied a centuries-old ban on entering a Hindu temple in the Indian state of Kerala, sparking protests and calls for a strike by conservative Hindu groups outraged by their visit.
Police were guarding the homes of the women after they left the temple and were prepared to let more women enter the temple. The state government defended its decision to protect the women as they went into the temple, saying it was a matter of civil rights. “I had earlier made it clear that the government will provide protection if any women come forward to enter the temple,” said Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
Police fired tear gas and used water cannons to disperse a large crowd of protesters in the state capital of Thiruvananthapuram, according to reports.
India’s Supreme Court ordered the lifting of the ban on women or girls of menstruating age from entering the Sabarimala temple, which draws millions of worshippers a year. But the temple refused to abide by the ruling and subsequent attempts by women to visit it had been blocked by thousands of devotees.
The uproar has put the issue of religion, which can be highly contentious in India, squarely on the political agenda months before a general election, which is expected by May.
The possibility of more confrontations was raised by a call for a state-wide protest from an umbrella group of right-wing Hindu groups in Kerala, the Sabarimala Karma Samithi, which is supported by the BJP, the ruling right-wing nationalist party in India.
Kerala state president of the BJP described the women’s visit as “a conspiracy by the atheist rulers to destroy the Hindu temples.”
The party’s state president, P.S Sreedharan Pillai, told reporters that the BJP would “support the struggles against the destruction of faith by the Communists.”
Officials from the main opposition Congress party in the state, in a rare alignment with the BJP, also called for protests.
Conservative Hindu groups say they believe women of menstruating age would defile the temple’s inner shrine. The ban was imposed on all females between the ages of 10 and 50.
News channels reported the chief priest of the temple briefly shut the building for “purification” rituals after the women visited. The temple has since been re-opened.
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