Woman Who Entered Sabarimala Shrine Thrown Out By In-Laws
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, Jan 22: A 39-year-old woman who dared to visit the Ayyappa shrine at Kerala's Sabarimala in defiance of religious customs earlier this month was not allowed into her in-laws' house on Tuesday. The incident occurred nearly a week after Kanaka Durga's mother-in-law allegedly assaulted her, following which she had to be admitted to the Kozhikode Medical College.
Kanaka Durga filed a complaint with the District Violence Protection Officer after her in-laws locked her out of the house. "The complaint has been forwarded to the court, and an order is awaited," a source close to her told NDTV.
The source said that when police initially took Kanaka Durga back home, they found that her husband had locked the door and left the place with his mother and two children. She is now living under police protection in a government shelter.
Kanaka Durga and another woman, 40-year-old Bindu Ammini, were the first ones of menstrual age to enter the famous hilltop shrine in decades. After their achievement, both were forced to stay in an undisclosed location on the outskirts of Kochi under state protection for fear of reprisals from right-wing activists. However, when Kanaka Durga returned home on the morning of January 15, her mother-in-law allegedly came at her with a stick and beat her until she could barely stand. "She began abusing me, saying that I had slept with many people and was a blot on the family's reputation," the government employee had told the police then.
The Supreme Court later instructed the Kerala Police to ensure that both Kanaka Durga and Bindu Ammini were provided round-the-clock security.
Sabarimala has been the subject of intense controversy since September 28 last year, when the Supreme Court junked an age-old ban on women between 10 and 50 years entering the hill shrine. While right-wing activists maintained that courts do not have jurisdiction over religious beliefs, the Kerala government vowed to uphold the verdict.
A few days ago, the Kerala government claimed that 51 women of menstrual age had entered the Ayyappa Temple under its protection. The list was later sent for revision, following media reports on age and gender discrepancies.
Courtesy: www.ndtv.com
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
6 women dead, 8 persons injured as bus rams into van in Gujarat's Sabarkantha
Sabarkantha (Gujarat) (PTI): Six women were killed and eight other persons injured after a private bus crashed into a van on a highway in Gujarat's Sabarkantha district on Wednesday, police said.
The van was ferrying women from Modasa in Aravalli district when a speeding bus hit it from behind on National Highway 48 connecting Shamlaji to Himmatnagar in the district, Deputy Superintendent of Police A K Patel said.
According to police, the women were part of a catering team for social events. They were travelling from Modasa in the neighbouring Aravalli district to Hunj village in Himmatnagar to attend a function when they met with the accident.
Six women passengers of the van were killed, Patel said.
Seven other women and the van driver suffered injuries, according to police.
The injured persons were rushed to the Himmatnagar civil hospital. The condition of two of them was critical, the hospital's medical officer, Dr Dhrupad Chauhan, said.
The bodies were sent to a government hospital for a postmortem.
VIDEO | Gujarat: Six persons were killed and four others injured after a private bus rammed into a van on a highway in Sabarkantha district on Wednesday, police said.
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) April 29, 2026
The van carrying passengers was on its way from Shamlaji to Himmatnagar when the speeding bus hit it from… pic.twitter.com/Gvr79LfCvi
