Bindu Ammini, 1st Woman To Enter Sabarimala Temple, Attacked in Kerala

Dalit activist Bindu Ammini, the first woman to enter the Sabarimala Temple after it opened for women in 2018, was attacked in Kerala on Wednesday, 5 January.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

Dalit activist Bindu Ammini, the first woman to enter the Sabarimala Temple after it opened for women in 2018, was attacked in Kerala on Wednesday, 5 January.

Ammini was assaulted by a man at the Kozhikode beach, news agency PTI reported, citing the police.

Purported videos of the incident that have surfaced on social media show a man hitting the activist as she defends herself against him, till another man in the vicinity pulls the assailant back.

The Kozhikode Police has registered a case on the basis of Ammini's complaint, and have said that they are searching for the perpetrator after checking CCTV visuals of the area, The Hindu reported.

An FIR has been filed under Indian Penal Code sections 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt) and 509 (punishment for insulting the modesty of woman).

Meanwhile, Ammini has said that this was not the first attack on her in recent times, and blamed Hindu outfits for targeting her. The activist had been admitted to the hospital last month after a speeding autorickshaw had hit her, in what she had alleged was a suspected murder attempt, as per The Hindu.

Bindu Ammini and Kanakadurga had made history in January 2019 when they became the first women of menstruating age to enter the Sabarimala temple since the Supreme Court in September 2018 lifted the long-running ban on women under 50 praying at the hill shrine.

In November 2019, Ammini was attacked with chilli spray by a man outside the Kochi Police Commissioner’s office.

The assailant, later identified as Sreenath, was found to be the state coordinator of Hindu Helpline, a service started by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal.

(With inputs from PTI and The Hindu)