I could've been lynched: Journalist while reporting women's entry to Sabarimala

Thiruvananthapuram: On Tuesday, before The News Minute correspondent Saritha S Balan set out for reporting women’s entry to Sabarimala, her friends were still happily taking selfies with her. For, there was no anxiety, thanks to a strand of belief that people in literate Kerala would not resort to extreme violence, not on women. Later, there were announcements through loudspeaker that reporters should not be obstructed.

The bubble was burst when, on Wednesday, a mob stopped the KSRTC bus she was in and attacked her at Nilakkal, despite her repeating several times to the mob that she had no intention to enter the temple. The mob largely consisted men, though there were some women. One of the women hurled a bottle of water at her. She said that it was evident from her attire, a jeans and shirt, that she would not enter a temple, but no one heeded her.

That got drowned in the din of abuses, including caste-specific expletives, hurled at her. Fortunately, a male journalist recognised who she was, and offered a cover until she would walk to the police jeep.

She would later say that she would have been lynched if it were not for that person.

Many continued to hoot as if they succeeded in foiling someone’s attempt to enter the temple. Before she got into the jeep, someone landed their foot on her back. She, a strong person who seem invulnerable to most, sounded shaken, when her friends called up. The pain on her back was yet to taper off. Until evening, she had to be in the station, for getting the medical test done.

There was an important observation she made. Her bus was full of believers from states outside Kerala, sitting peacefully on their way to Pamba. None of them had an issue with her presence in the bus. But a violent mob who claimed to be believers couldn’t stand the fact that she was headed to Pampa.

“Of the two sections of people, who can be called believers?” she wondered aloud, in her interview to a news channel.