INDIA: Tens of thousands protest in over Sabarimala temple

Tens of thousands of women in a southern Indian state have formed a 620km human chain in support of a court order overturning a partial ban on women entering one of Hinduism’s holiest temples. The “Women’s Wall” rally on Tuesday was backed by the communist government in Kerala state, where the court order on the […]

Tens of thousands of women in a southern Indian state have formed a 620km human chain in support of a court order overturning a partial ban on women entering one of Hinduism’s holiest temples.

The “Women’s Wall” rally on Tuesday was backed by the communist government in Kerala state, where the court order on the Sabarimala temple had triggered weeks of protests by opponents and supporters of the ban.

Government employees took part in the demonstration, while schools were given a half-day and university exams delayed so that students could join the protest, the Press Trust of India news agency reported.

A government statement issued before the event predicted five million women would participate in the protest. Kerala has become the venue of an angry showdown between Hindu traditionalists and supporters of September’s Supreme Court ruling, which ended a centuries-old ban on women of menstrual age entering the temple.