Police in southern India said on Friday, that a third woman has entered a flashpoint temple, stoking tensions after two days of clashes involving Hindu hardliners and police. The Sabarimala temple in Kerala state has been at the centre of a prolonged showdown since India’s top court overturned in September a ban on women aged 10 to 50 setting foot inside. The third to enter the temple, on Thursday night, was a Sri Lankan woman, police said. Much of the sporadic violence took place as Hindu hardliners sought to force shopkeepers to comply with a dawn-til-dusk “hartal” shutdown called by the Sabarimala temple hierarchy, media reports said. The Supreme Court is to start hearing a legal challenge on its temple ruling — the latest in a series of verdicts to upset traditionalists and reflect a more liberal outlook in Indian society — from January 22.

Source: Punch January 04, 2019 07:52 UTC