Woman who first entered Sabarimala, thrown out of the house by in-laws, now in government shelter

Kanakadurga, one of the two women who entered Kerala’s Sabarimala temple was sent to a government-run home on Tuesday after she was thrown out of her in-laws’ house.

Kanakagurga and Bindhu had entered Sabarimala temple on January 2, becoming the first women to enter the shrine after the Supreme Court overturned a centuries-old traditional ban last year.

However, the two women after entering the temple were living under police protection at an undisclosed location for fear of being attacked.

However, last week, when Kanakadurga went back to her husband’s home, her mother-in-law assaulted her with a stick for which she had to be admitted to hospital. And now, on being discharged from hospital, when she went back home, she found the house locked. Speaking to reporters, Kanakadurga said her mother-in-law demanded her to leave the house and “atone for her sins”. Her husband is a government employee and according to some reports, he had locked the house and left with the children and his mother.

The 44-year-old Kanakadurga has registered a complaint with the District Violence Protection Officer based on which the authorities have decided to keep her at a shelter home under police protection.