No peace at Sabari, protests gather steam
The
Sabarimala Temple gates opened to devotees on Wednesday amid violent protests against women devotees and journalists. Officials issued prohibitory orders at four places – Nilakkal, Pampa, Elavunkal and Sannidhanam from midnight.
On Friday tense moments were witnessed when two women reached the hilltop with heavy police escort, but had to return before reaching the sanctum sanctorum following massive protests by Lord Ayyappa devotees.
As the two were returning, a 46- year- old woman also made an attempt to trek the forest path from downhill Pamba to the temple complex five km away, but retracted following protests from devotees.
Another massive protest by the devotees broke out near the Sabarimala Sannidhanam on Saturday following rumours that a woman from Tamil Nadu below 50 years of age climbed the hills to offer prayers to the presiding deity.
The situation turned tense in the area, where section 144 was clamped, as devotees gathered in large numbers at ' Valiya Nadapandhal' to protest against the woman's entry into the temple.
The tension was defused after the woman, who had come with her family members, convinced the protesters that she was above 50 years, and proceeded to the shrine.
In a significant development, the Travancore Devaswom Board, that manages the shrine, said it would approach the Supreme Court to defuse the tense situation prevailing in the state after the government decided to implement the apex court order on entry of women of all age groups into the shrine.
In an advisory, the Union Home Ministry has asked asked Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka to tighten security in view of the continuing protests against the SC verdict.
On Friday, when the two women, one identified as a Hyderabad based reporter in her late 20s, and a Kochi based activist reached the hilltop, a large number of devotees blocked them at Valiya Nadappandhal, the queue complex located a few metres away from the holy ' pathinettam padi' ( the 18 sacred steps), leading to the sanctum sanctorum.
Tension was defused after the women agreed to return as the state government made it clear it did not want to take them to the Sannidhanam, the temple complex, by using force against the protesting devotees.
The stand taken by the ' tantri' ( head priest) that he would close the temple if the women were escorted into the sanctum sanctorum also persuaded them to return as per instructions of the police.
Though the women had earlier insisted they should reach the shrine, police convinced them about the gravity of the situation and the stand taken by the government and the head priest.
If they had reached the shrine, they would have been the first women frssom the menstruating age group to visit the Lord Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala after the apex court order permitting women of all age groups to enter the shrine.
State Devaswom minister Kadakampally Surendran, who was in Thiruvanathapuram, said the government was not ready to use force and hurt the sentiments of devotees.
He also said one of the women was later identified as an activist and holy Sabarimala was not a place to show their strength and activism. “The government has the duty and responsibility to implement the Supreme Court order and give protection to devotees but not for activists,” Surendran said.
OFFICIALS ISSUED prohibitory orders at four places – Nilakkal, Pampa, Elavunkal and Sannidhanam from midnight.