Woman Activist Who Entered Sabarimala Attacked Outside Top Cop’s Office in Kochi

Bindu Ammini was attacked with chilli powder outside the police commissioner's office. She had gone there asking for police protection for her group to trek to the shrine. She is part of a six-woman group led by activist Trupti Desai.

New Delhi: Bindu Ammini, one of the two women who created history by entering the Sabarimala shrine, in January, was on Tuesday attacked with chilli powder by a man right outside the Kochi police commissioner’s office where she had gone asking for police protection for her group to trek to the shrine.

Kerala: Bindu Ammini, one of the two women who first entered the #Sabarimala temple in January this year, says, "a man sprayed chilli and pepper at my face,"outside Ernakulam city police commissioner's office today morning. pic.twitter.com/lt2M58264k

— ANI (@ANI) November 26, 2019

She was accompanied to the police commissioner’s office by activist Trupti Desai, who is leading a six-member delegation, including Ammini herself. The group arrived at Kochi International Airport in wee hours of Tuesday to attempt to go the shrine.

According to reports, a group of right-wing activists got into a heated argument with Ammini, following which one of them threw chilli powder at her face. The accused was identified as Srinath Padmanabhan and was taken into police custody. A large number of devotees had gathered outside the commissioner’s office against the Desai-led group.

The video of the incident has gone viral on social media.

Earlier, after landing at the airport, Trupti Desai had said that she chose November 26 as the date to visit the shrine as it also marks the Constitution Day. Warning of a contempt petition if blocked, she also said that she won’t leave without visiting the temple.

On November 14, a five-judge bench of the Supreme Court, in a majority 3-2 verdict, sent to a larger seven-judge bench, review petitions into its September 2018 verdict lifting the ban on the entry of women devotees in the age group of 10-50, into the shrine.