Sabarimala row : Millions to form 650-km Women’s Wall today

Stretching from Kasargod to Thiruvananthapuram, over 3 million  women are expected to take part in a 650-km 'Women's Wall', in Kerala today on the first day of the new year 2019.

Organised by the state's Left Democratic Front (LDF) government, the event is  scheduled to begin at 4 pm, and comes in the wake of protests against the Supreme Court judgment that flung open the Sabarimala temple to women of all ages.

Led by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, the LDF government, says it won't allow Kerala to be taken back to the dark ages, and that women have equal rights. It has been facing heat from both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress over its efforts to implement the Supreme Court verdict.

The Supreme Court struck down a ban that prevented women aged between 10 and 50 from entering the shrine dedicated to Lord Ayyappa, considered to be eternally celibate. But since the ban was lifted protests have prevented women of this age group from entering to the temple.

Today, women taking part in the 'Women's Wall' will start assembling early in the afternoon, and a trial run will take place at 3.30 pm.

Political parties, including the Communist Party of India – Marxist (CPI-M) and the Communist Party of India (CPI), will attend the event.

(Featured image : New Indian Express)