Three held for turning women away at temple

Protesters at the Sabarimala temple in Kerala yesterday stopped two women — from Andhra Pradesh — from advancing towards the Ayyappa temple as they were of the “banned age group”, prompting Kerala Police to arrest three men.

All three hail from nearby Ranni and they stopped the two women devotees from advancing any further after they had already walked up to the hill. One of the devotees was 28 years old and the other was 42. So far, 14 women have had to return without praying at the shrine despite a court order allowing their entry. (IANS)