Two women who attempted to enter the Lord Ayyappa Temple in Sabarimala were stopped at Pamba on Saturday. Andhra Pradesh natives Navojamma, 32, and Kripavathi, 42, had reached Pamba along with a 15-member group.
The police had warned the women of the impending protests at Sabarimala. Kripavati had reached Marakoottam when the devotees protested, forcing her to return. Seeing this, Navojamma followed suit. While they were making their trek back to Pamba, more protests erupted.
The police then took the women to Pamba police station.
The police have taken three people (Subash, Santhosh and Mahesh) into custody for preventing the women from going to Sabarimala.
Rightwing groups and the BJP have been holding protests ever since the Supreme Court struck down the ban on the entry of girls and and women aged 10-50 to Sabarimala in September.
On November 13, the Supreme Court also refused to stay its September verdict.
Sabarimala has been under a heavy security blanket since November 17, when it was opened for the annual two-month-long pilgrimage season.
Meanwhile, the Travancore Devaswom Board, which manages the hill shrine, urged the government to withdraw the heavy deployment of security forces at Sabarimala. The police said security cannot be relaxed until December 6.
The police had said that the restriction was in the backdrop of the frenzied protests at Sabarimala over the state government's decision to implement the Supreme Court order.
The Pathanamthitta district administration had extended the prohibitory orders at Sabarimala and nearby areas till December 4.
