INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Image caption
Kanaka Durga was the first woman to enter the Sabarimala shrine
An Indian woman who defied
a historic ban to enter a prominent temple in the southern state of Kerala has been abandoned by her family, officials say.Kanaka Durga, 39,
had been in hospital since 15 January after she was allegedly beaten by her mother-in-law for entering the Sabarimala shrine.The Hindu
temple has traditionally been closed to women of "menstruating age" - defined as between 10 and 50.India's top court overturned the ban in
September, sparking massive protests
Many women tried to enter the temple after the court ruling, but were stopped by angry mobs of protesters
Ms Kanaka Durga entered the shrine along with another woman, on 2 January.Thankachan Vithayatil, a social worker, told TheIndianSubcontinent
Hindi's Imran Qureshi that when Ms Kanaka Durga came home on Monday evening from the hospital, she had found the door locked
No-one was home, including her husband and two sons
"She was accompanied by the police and they took her to a government home for women," Mr Vithayatil added
After staying the night there, Ms Kanaka Durga went to the police station, where her husband, Krishnan Unni, had been called in for
"He was not willing to take her home, while she kept insisting that she would go wherever he went," superintendent Prateesh Kumar, told
TheIndianSubcontinent Hindi.He added that Mr Unni eventually left without her and she returned to the women's home.Police said the matter
will now be decided in court as Ms Kanaka Durga had earlier registered a case of domestic violence against her mother-in-law
"She will petition the court for permission to enter her house
She is very upset," Mr Thankachan said
Ms Kanaka Durga and Ms Bindu Ammini, were forced into hiding and had to keep moving locations under police protection as news of their entry
sparked violent protests across the state.Image copyrightGetty ImagesImage caption
The court ruling allowing women to
enter the temple sparked huge protests
When Ms Kanaka Durga first returned home from hiding she told police her
"They did not want her to return home because they believed she had tarnished their name
Her community was also opposed to women entering the temple," Prasad Amore, an activist and friend who had campaigned for women's right to
enter the Sabarimala shrine, told TheIndianSubcontinent Hindi.The issue has become increasingly contentious in the run-up to India's general
election, scheduled for April and May
