Activist Trupti Desai who landed in Cochin airport to proceed to Sabarimala for a darshan of Lord Ayyappa has called off her plan. She is planning to return to Pune as advised by police officials because of the deteriorating law and order situation there.
The police have registered a suo motu case against 200 people who staged a protest at the airport to block her exit. Desai is expected to leave the airport at 9:50 pm on Friday, reported Mathrubhumi.com.
However, Trupti said, she would return to Kerala later during the ongoing mandala season, the report said.
Amid an over 12-hour stand-off with devotees and BJP workers at the airport vowing not to let her proceed to the Sabarimala shrine, Trupti Desai said police have asked her to return to Pune.
The development comes even as the doors to the Lord Ayyappa temple opened for the "Mandala Makkaravillakku" puja.
The activist, who reached here around 4.40 am along with six young women en route to the hill temple, has been unable to come out of the airport, with the protesters saying her group would not be allowed to proceed to the Sabarimala temple.
Desai said police officers held a meeting with her. "Police have requested me to return to Pune," she told reporters.
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Protesting local BJP leaders at the airport had said the devotees, including women, would not let Desai and her colleagues to come out of the airport and proceed to Sabarimala temple.
They alleged that Desai and her team came here to violate the centuries-old custom of the temple that prevented entry of women and girls in the age group of 10 and 50.
Talking to the media over the phone, Desai had earlier said she would not go back without darshan at the Lord Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala.
(With PTI inputs)