Sabarimala row: Who is Rehana Fathima? Activist who tried enter Lord Ayyappa temple along with Kavitha Jakkal and Mary Sweety

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Today morning, a woman journalist along with her 4-crew members with 100 policemen protecting her began to climb towards Pamba foothills of Kerala’s Sabarimala Temple after Supreme Court allowed women entering inside the sanctum. However, they were forced to return back as the chief priest protested as the two women were about to reach the shrine. The activist’s names were Rehana Fathima, an activist from Kerala. Besides Fathima, a woman devotee Mary Sweety and reporter Kavitha Jakkal also tried to enter the temple.

Kavitha and Fathima were few metre away from the entry of Sabarimala temple when they were stopped by protesting devotees and priests. As soon as Fathima tried to enter the temple, some miscreants vandalised her house in Kochi. In this section, we see some details about Rehana Fathima, Kavitha Jakkal and Mary Sweety.

Rehana Fathima, a feminist activist is known for her angst over a professor’s comment who compared woman’s breasts to watermelons and later advised girls to cover since it attracts men. As his comments went social, Fathima, then a government employee posed nude with watermelons, however, she received backlash for the same. Later, she explained that this was needed because she wanted ‘to question the restrictions regarding a woman baring her body’, as per mentioned in a leading daily.

Fathima is also first woman who participated in traditional Onam tiger dance which is traditionally performed by male dancers.

On the other hand, Kavitha Jakkal, a Hyderabad-based reporter who works with Mojo TV. Earlier, while starting the climb said she won’t return back until taking darshan of Lord Ayyappa. Besides Fathima and Kavitha, Mary Sweety, another reporter, tried to enter the temple.