Sabarimala: Kerala HC tells govt not to interfere and allow media and devotees in as temple reopens on Monday 5 pm

The Kerala High Court on Monday said that devotees and media personnel trying to enter the Sabarimala Temple premises should not be stopped. The court also told the Kerala government to not interfere in the day to day activities of the temple as it ordered for a department level inquiry on the policemen who had damaged at the shrine.

Meanwhile, Kerala Police deployed heavy security with over 23,000 policemen on guard to oversee the pilgrimage. The police deployed face detection machines at Sabarimala to prevent protestors from going to the hill shrine disguised as devotees. This is the first time that the state used the latest technology for security. Apart from the face detection machines, high-quality CCTV cameras were also installed at every nook and corner at the Nilakkal and Pampa base camps.

However, all guest houses belonging to different government departments at Sannidhanam were locked up by the police and media was not allowed to talk to the Sabarimala temple thantri Kandararu Rajeevaru at Sannidhanam. A group of media persons had approached him following reports in a section of the media that he had threatened to close the temple if women of menstruating age entered the temple in violation of the temple customs. But, a senior police officer prevented the reporters and cameraman from talking to the thantri citing the prohibitory orders in force in the hill shrine. Mobile network jammers were also installed in the Sannidhanam.

Earlier in the day, BJP protested at the Thiruvananthapuram main bus station after buses were not allowed to go to Pamba base camp after which the police allowed KSRTC to operate service from Nilakkal to Pamba. Earlier, private vehicles carrying devotees were allowed up to the Pamba base camp but the permission was withdrawn following extensive damage the base camp suffered in the flood.

BJP leader PK Krishnadas said that such a clampdown in Sabarimala is unheard of in the history of the state. “This an infringement on the rights of devotees. Pinarayi Vijayan government is creating a war zone in Sabarimala,” he said.

However, the tension at Nilakkal eased with the state-run Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) beginning services. The first bus carrying devotees who came for the Chithira Atha Visehsham pooja left Nilakkal around 11 am. The devotees, who had come to Nilakkal from various places, had staged protests when police refused to give nod for the bus service. Following heated exchanges, they were allowed to proceed to Pamba by foot. Buses from Erumeli, a major entry point, also operated after 10 am following protests. The devotees, which included many who had come from Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, launched protests by chanting Ayyappa songs after a heated argument with the police.

There were also reports of the priests at the Lord Ayyappa temple having threatened to close the temple if women between the age of 10 and 50 years entered the sanctum sanctorum. According to local media reports, the thantri (high priest) and melshanthi (chief priest) made their position clear to Inspector General of Police S Ajit Kumar when he called on them to discuss the arrangements for the Chithira Atha Visesham pooja.

On the other hand, Ayyappa devotees and the police engaged were engaged in a wordy duel at Nilakkal as the police sought identity proof, phone number and address from the devotees going to Pamba. Meanwhile, though the police had agreed to allow the media to go to the temple in the morning, they were later detained at Pamba.

In a first, policewomen entered the Lord Ayyappa temple for the first time in the history of the Sabrimala pilgrimage. Reports from the hill shrine said that 15 women police above the age of 50 reached the temple premises and were deployed to deal with the women protestors.

The Sabarimala hill shrine will open its doors to devotees at 5 pm on Monday for a special ritual celebrating the birthday of erstwhile Travancore King Sree Chithira Tirunal.

With inputs from TK Devasia