Heckled By Protesters At Sabarimala, Woman Passes Out After Panic Attack
PAMBA/NEW DELHI: A woman suffered from panic attack and had to be taken to a hospital near Sabarimala after masses of protesters surrounded and heckled her. Earlier today, two women had to turn back after facing similar treatment from groups that have been camping on way to the hill shrine, determined not to let any woman of reproductive age set foot there.
Balamma, 47, had trekked almost 4 km without police protection, unnoticed by anyone. Then, in absolute disregard for the Supreme Court ruling, the protesters surrounded her and checked her ID card for age. The protesters were not stopped by police.She fell unconscious and had to be taken to a hospital in Pamba, the police said.
Since the temple opened on Wednesday - the first time after the top court's ruling - no woman has been able to reach the temple gates. So far, eight women have attempted the nearly 19 km trek. None have gone beyond Nilakkal and Pamba - two main stops on way to the shrine. Two of them, Kavitha, a journalist, and Rahana, an activist, were stopped near the shrine's main entrance, a few hundred metres from the sanctum sanctorum.
The temple, which remains open only five days a month, will shut tomorrow.
From Day 1, protesters have made their determination clear, stopping buses, harassing women and attacking reporters and media vehicles in presence of the police force. Despite the state government's assurance that law and order will be maintained, police presence has been largely ineffective, women say.
Since Wednesday, the police have tried to chase away the protesters a few times. But they have always returned and stationing themselves mainly at the base camps Nilakkal and Pamba managed to heckle and intimidate women into staying away. They have even started checking the ID cards of women at Nilakkal base camp before allowing them to proceed.
The police say they will provide protection to the women devotees to reach the temple, but cannot help beyond that. "Darshan is something which can be done with consent of the priest," said Kerala Inspector General S Sreejith. On Friday, his team formed a protective ring around two women who wished to enter the temple, but they did not succeed.
In what is being considered as a failure of the state machinery and intelligence, a group of protesting devotees have stationed themselves at Sannidhanam, minutes away from the final 18 steps leading to the temple. The police have not been able to stop this.
Earlier today, two women from Andhra Pradesh in their early forties were stopped 200 metres from Pamba.
Vasanthi, 41, and Aadhiseshi, 42, minutes after they started climbing towards the hilltop shrine of Lord Ayyappa, protesters surrounded them and forced them to go back. They said they did not know about the situation in Sabarimala, and have decided to return home.
Courtesy: www.ndtv.com
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Women's quota bill would have ensured defeat of democracy, Constitution: Aaditya Thackeray
Mumbai (PTI): Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray on Saturday said that the passage of the women's quota bill would have ensured a "total defeat of democracy", alleging that the legislation, linked with a delimitation exercise, was a political tool designed to reduce the voice of states.
Thackeray, in a post on X, claimed that the Bill would have amended the Constitution for the political means of the ruling regime to increase seats, reduce the voice of many states and enable the gerrymandering of constituencies to ensure unfair victories.
"The very amendment that would have ensured the total defeat of democracy and the Constitution in India stands rejected by the unity of the Opposition MPs," he wrote.
The legislation should have been called "Delimitation to ensure unfair victory Bill", the former minister said, adding that there was a genuine need to enable 33 per cent reservation for women in the current number of seats.
"Now, it is up to the government to ensure that it is implemented in the 543 seats of the Lok Sabha for the 2029 elections and all elections across India, if that is the real intent of the government," he wrote.
A Constitution Amendment Bill to implement reservation for women in legislatures in 2029 and increase the number of Lok Sabha seats was defeated on Friday in the Lower House.
While 298 members voted in support of the Bill, 230 MPs voted against it. Out of 528 members who voted, the Bill required 352 votes for a two-thirds majority.
According to the Constitution Amendment Bill, Lok Sabha seats were to be increased to a maximum of 850 from the current 543 to "operationalise" the women's reservation law before the 2029 parliamentary polls, following a delimitation exercise based on the 2011 Census.
