Bindu Ammini, the first woman to enter the Sabarimala temple in 2018, was attacked by a man in north Kerala’s Kozhikode on Wednesday evening. While she has blamed Hindu outfits like RSS for this act, the attacker was identified as a drunk fisherman, who was arrested by police.
The incident happened when she was on a beach where she had gone to meet one of her lawyers. The Dalit activist is the first woman who had entered into the sanctum sanctorum of the Sabarimala Temple in Kerala after the Supreme Court in one of its most discussed and controversial judgements of recent times allowed the women of menstruating age to enter the temple as against the tradition of the temple.
Hindu fanatics assaulted Bindu Ammini in Kerala. She is on target after her entry in Sabrimala temple. Frightening.
— Mission Ambedkar (@MissionAmbedkar) January 6, 2022
Repeat attacks on her are not possible without the protection of the govt on the goons. The RW & LW unity are exposed.pic.twitter.com/w7KkwXrZH6
Bindu Ammini has filed a complaint in the police in which she claimed that a man on the beach overpowered her and showered blows on her till she fell on the road. Bindu said, “I arrived on the beach to consult one of my lawyers. All of a sudden, a person came and blocked my two-wheeler, and started abusing me and showered blows on me. He ran away when some of the onlookers intervened. This was a planned attack.”
The attack was recorded by nearby people on their mobile phones. Several people had shared the video of the attack on social media, which Bindu had re-shared on her Facebook account.
Blaming Hindu outfits
Bindu Ammini underlined that this was not the first time that she was attacked. As per her claim, she was under similar attacks earlier too. She blamed RSS for targeting her and alleged she is being attacked regularly for the Sabarimala incident. She claimed that she has been attacked over ten times so far.
“Sangh Parivar gave instructions to attack me in general. The police are safeguarding the assailants. The man who attacked me has only been charged with bailable offences. The Sabarimala incident left me a target. So many people tried to enter the temple. They are now targeting only me because of my dalit identity,” Bindu Ammini said.
Last month she was reportedly hit by a speeding autorickshaw and was subsequently admitted to hospital. Later, police had cleared that it was just an accident. Considering her so-called activism which whirled around delicate matters of faith, she was provided with police security earlier which was withdrawn later.
Attacker arrested
According to reports, Bindu Ammini was attacked by one Mohandas, a fisherman. Police said that he is a native of Beypore. The police had registered the case and checked the footage of the nearby CCTV cameras so that the alleged attacker can be identified.
According to the police, Mohandas had attacked Bindu in an inebriated condition. The officer investigating the case has informed that a detailed statement will be taken and Mohandas’ arrest will be registered after that. The police have said that Mohandas also sustained some injuries in the scuffle.
A brief recap of who is Bindu Ammini
Bindu Ammini is one of the first two women who entered the Sabarimala Temple on January 2, 2019, after the Supreme Court allowed the entry of female devotees of menstruating age inside the shrine. Traditionally, the deity of the temple Ayyappa requires a prohibition on the entry of the women of menstruating age inside the Sanctum Sanctorum because the deity inside this particular temple resides in the form of a Brahmachari. As the court granted the permission in contrast with the Dharmik tradition, the activist Bindu had entered the temple which attracted a lot of enraged devotees to surround the temple in the protection of their faith. The temple authorities too had to close the shrine for performing the purification rituals. The Supreme Court later formed a larger bench and referred this issue to the bench. The verdict is not yet delivered.
