Source: Reuters

BY Jose Devasia

KOCHI, India (Reuters) – One of two Indian women who entered an ancient Hindu hill temple in southern India this month in defiance of a centuries-old ban on women of menstruating age alleged she was beaten up by her mother-in-law on Tuesday, police said.

Kanaka Durga, 39, one of two Indian women to enter Sabarimala temple which traditionally bans the entry of women of menstrual age, is seen at a hospital in Manjeri town in the southern state of Kerala, India, January 15, 2019. REUTERS/Stringer

Kanaka Durga, 39, a civil servant, suffered injuries to her head and had to be hospitalized, police said. She claims she was attacked only minutes after she returned to her home from spending a month at undisclosed locations fearing attacks by conservative Hindu groups, police said.

“We received a complaint from Kanaka Durga alleging that she was attacked by family members of her husband when she returned home after entering the temple,” said Jaya Mani, officer in charge of Perinthalmanna police station in Malappuram district, which is in the state of Kerala where the Sabarimala temple is located.

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