#SabarimalaRow: BSNL suspends activist Rehana Fathima after arrest
On Tuesday, BSNL suspended activist-model Rehana Fathima after she was arrested for hurting sentiments of the followers of Lord Ayyappa through a Facebook post. Rehana had posted a picture on Facebook, dressed as an Ayyappa devotee and captioned it 'Thathvamasi'. This image irked a group of devotees, and she was subsequently arrested for hurting their sentiments by the Pathanamthitta police. Here's more about it.
Rehana's post irked many devotees
Rehana had posted the picture on September 30; subsequently on October 30, Sabarimala Samrakshana Samithi had filed a complaint. The group, which claims to work for the interests of devotees, approached the police and she was booked under IPC Section 295 A (outraging religious feeling and creating enmity between different communities). Anticipating arrest, she had even approached Kerala HC but her plea wasn't entertained.
Her journey towards the shrine wasn't successful
Notably, on October 19, Rehana had attempted to reach the shrine after the Supreme Court lifted a ban which didn't allow women of menstrual age to enter the temple. Rehana and another woman journalist were escorted by police, but had to return because of the aggressive protests. Devotees believe Lord Ayyappa is celibate and allowing women of all age, is an insult to him.
Meanwhile, Muslim body slammed Rehana for hurting Hindu religious sentiments
After her failed attempt, Kerala Temple Affairs minister Kadakampally Surendran claimed "activists with agenda" should not be allowed to enter the temple, but Rehana insisted she was an Ayyappa devotee. Notably, Kerala Muslim Jama'ath Council slammed Rehana for hurting religious sentiments of thousands of Hindu devotees. Earlier, activist Trupti Desai too couldn't leave the Kochi Airport and failed to visit the temple.
