Thousands of people gathered in Thiruvananthapuram’s Central Stadium on Tuesday at an event to showcase and reaffirm India’s constitutional values. The event, called “We, The People”, was organised in the backdrop of increasing protests against the Supreme Court’s September 28 verdict allowing women of all ages to enter to the Sabarimala temple.

Prior to this judgment, women aged between 10 and 50 were not allowed to worship at the temple.

The event started with a mass reading of the Preamble to the Constitution. Its participants later rook a pledge to protect the Constitution. The idea for the event was conceived by citizens concerned about the outbreak of violence in the state, The Hindu reported.

“If you look at what is happening in Kerala today, one would get the impression that the majority is against the Constitution and believes in misogyny,” said Ajithkumar, who participated in the event. “The violence, perpetrated by a small minority, has spilled out into all spheres and has now reached intolerable limits.”

The vocal minority is under the impression that anything can be done in the name of religion, Ajithkumar said. “But a majority clearly does not agree with this kind of violence and abuse against women. We aim to make those voices of the silent majority heard.”

Meanwhile, a group of artists will congregate in front of the state Secretariat on Thursday and paint their ideas on canvas. Musical events and other cultural programmes have been planned as well. Magenta was chosen as the colour code of the event as it is “one of the few colours that is not associated with any political party”, a participant said.

At 3 pm on Tuesday, the Supreme Court will hear a batch of more than 48 review petitions challenging its verdict. The temple has opened for devotees twice since its September 27 verdict, but no woman has been allowed to enter the hilltop shrine. The protests have occurred despite the deployment of thousands of police personnel at the shrine by the state government.