Ayyappa  

The protesters demanded that the BJP leader K Surendran be released and alleged that the police had arrested a devotee.

Surendran claimed that his rights were being violated as he had come with the irumudikettu (a bag carried on the head with offerings for Lord Ayyappa, to be taken inside the temple) and had also booked a ticket for darshan

A 50-year-old social science teacher, KP Sasikala, turned in to religious and political figure in 2003. She grabbed headlines today as she got arrested while attempting to enter Sabarimala drawing thousands of protesters

On Friday, Trupti Desai was trapped inside Kochi airport after hundreds of Lord Ayyappa devotees staged a protest against her planned visit to the Sabarimala shrine 

Sabarimala temple has opened for 70-day-long annual pilgrimage. The current priest will hand over the keys of the sanctum sanctorum to the new priest.
 

Trupti Desai reached the Kochi airport at 5 AM with an intention to visit Sabarimala. After waiting the entire day at Kochi Internation Airport, Trupti Desai would be returning to Pune at 9.30PM. Massive protests were witnessed since 4AM outside the airport.

Devotees protest outside Kochi airport as Trupti Desai prepares to enter Sabarimala shrine along with five other women

The Constitutional bench headed by then CJI Dipak Misra had in a landmark verdict in September allowed the entry of women of the menstruating age group in the Lord Ayyappa shrine. 

The photoshopped picture showed police stamping on an Ayyappa devotee, who had his Irumudi tied to his head holding an Ayyappa idol in his hand. 

Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan claimed that Sabarimala is entirely in the hands of the state police but a Facebook video has gone viral where RSS leader Valsan Thillankery can be seen controlling the devotees at Sannidhanam

A protest also was staged by Ayyappa devotees on Tuesday morning at Sannidhanam against several women due to doubts over their age. Then, when they came to know the truth, the protesters themselves provided security to the woman to visit the shrine.
 

Media and Devaswom employees have started trekking uphill to Sabarimala. Ayyappa devotees are now stopped at Nilakkal, they will be sent to Pamba by 12 noon.

Lord Ayyappa temple will be opened on November 5 for the one-day festival of Chithira Attavisesham, an auspicious day in the Malayalam calendar.

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