Two women en route Sabarimala blocked at entry of the shrine

A woman reporter from Hyderabad began the Sabarimala trek on Friday, a day after a New Delhi-based reporter of a foreign media outlet made a failed bid to visit the shrine. Kavitha Jakkala, a reporter with Mojo TV, had reached Pamba on Thursday, but began the ascent only on Friday morning citing security concerns, reported The News Minute. 

 Police led by IG S. Sreejith have have thrown a security ring around the women who had requested security to go to Sabarimala Sannidhanam. 

So far, they have not faced protests by devotees opposing the entry of girls and women of menstrual age into the Lord Ayyappa temple.

The woman is in her late 20s. If she climbed the hills, she would be the first woman from the menstruating age group to visit the Sabarimala temple of Lord Ayyappa after the Supreme Court order permitting women of all age groups to enter the shrine.

On Thursday, the New Delhi-based woman journalist was stopped midway by devotees opposing the entry of women of menstrual age into the hill shrine.

The journalist accompanied by her male colleague, a foreigner, descended the hills from Marakkoottam area in the face of mounting protests.

A case has been registered against devotees who allegedly prevented her trekking and forced her to climb down the hills.