Tension prevailed at the Lord Ayyappa temple in Sabarimala on Tuesday morning after devotees protested the presence of a woman at Valiya Nadapanthal.
The devotees rushed towards the woman on suspicion that she belonged to the “barred” age group. They refused entry for her till her age was confirmed to be over 50 years. The police escorted her to a hospital and said she was 52 years old.
Meanwhile, protesters attacked journalists covering the agitation. A cameraman working for a Malayalam news channel was assaulted by the protesters as he was covering the agitation from a roof. The police rescued the cameraman after protesters threw chairs at him. The cameraman of another Malayalam channel also sustained injuries after being assaulted.
On Monday night, a 30-year-old woman who had arrived at the Pamba base camp with her husband and two children retreated after protesters remained defiant on barring her entry to the Sabarimala shrine.
The Lord Ayyappa temple opened again on Tuesday for the 'Sree Chitira Atta Thirunal' puja to mark the birth anniversary of the last king of the princely state of Travancore, Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma.
The doors of the temple were opened Monday for the second time in three weeks amid unprecedented
security over apprehension of protests by those opposing the Supreme Court order allowing women of all age groups into the shrine.
