Sabarimala/Delhi/Kochi: Activists of the BJP, Yuva Morcha and other right-wing outfits on Monday stepped up protests across Kerala against the late night police crackdown at the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple complex and the subsequent detention of 69 people.
In a strong reprimand, the Kerala High Court expressed its displeasure over the manner in which Ayyappa devotees were dealt with by the police at the "Sannidhanam" (temple complex).
Given the tense situation, there was a dip in arrivals at the shrine which is visited by lakhs of pilgrims during the annual pilgrimage season.
As a war of words erupted over the police action, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan maintained that those who had been arrested were not Ayyappa devotees, but RSS workers camping at Sannidhanam (temple complex).
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UDF leaders and workers proceeded to Pamba on a KSRTC bus from Nilakkal.
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Special restrictions have been imposed in the Pullumedu route. Pilgrims from Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam districts will be denied entry through this path. Devotees from other districts are permitted entry through Pullumedu after taking their photographs. The restrictions were imposed after a circular allegedly being issued by BJP sought devotees from Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam to arrive at the temple premises from today to intensify the agitations.
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BJP MPs Nalin Kumar Kateel and V Muraleedharan reviewing the facilities at Nilakkal. Photo: Rahul R Pattom
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SP Yathish Chandra said MLAs will be allowed to proceed. Others may go to Pamba on KSRTC buses, he added.
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The UDF team heading to Sabarimala was stopped by the police at Nilakkal. The UDF leaders have started a sit-in.
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KSRTC cancelled 50 of its 310 chain services from Nilakkal to Pamba owing to poor patronage. Only three of the 10 electric buses are conducting services now.
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Senior Congress leaders led by former chief minister Oommen Chandy will visit Sabarimala premises on Tuesday. BJP MPs including V Muraleedharan and Nalin Kumar Kateel will also arrive at the temple on Tuesday.
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A minor protest broke out at the Sabarimala Temple late Monday night after 20 pilgrims were asked to move out of the shrine's 'Vavarunada' area, a highly sensitive zone, police said.
However, the protesters were soon pacified by the police and taken to Nadapanthal area, Superintendent of Police (special officer) Pratheesh Kumar said.
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The temple closed for the day at 11 pm in a peaceful atmosphere.
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A group of 22 devotees staged a 'Namajapa' protest near Vavruswamy Nada on the Sabarimala temple premises.
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BJP MPs Nalin Kumar Katteel and V Muraleedharan will visit Sabarimala tomorrow in a bid to understand the hardships being faced by devotees there. They will arrive at Nilakkal at 10 am. Party state secretary J R Padmakumar and Pathanamthitta district president Ashokan will accompany the MPs. The team will visit Pamba and Sannidhanam, a press release said.
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BJP general secretary K Surendran was denied bail on Monday by a Pathanamthitta court. He can now move the Kerala High Court seeking bail.
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Sixty-eight people who had been arrested from Sabarimala Sannidhanam were remanded on Monday. They would be taken to Pujappura central jail. Their bail plea will be heard on November 21.
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One more plea seeking urgent hearing of writ and review petitions of September 28 verdict have been rejected by the SC
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TDB files plea in SC, seeking more time to implement Sabarimala order
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A Namajapa protest that was going on the past 12 hours outside the police station has been called off
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68 protesters, who were detained Sunday night and taken to Maniyar police camp in Pathanamthitta district, would be taken to court soon.
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Protests outside press club in Kochi, 3 young women had made a fervent plea to visit Sabarimala
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Women who want to visit Sabarimala, hold press meet in Kochi
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Refuting union minister Kannanthanam's allegations, Devaswom Minister Kadakampally Surendran said though Rs 100 crore was promised for Sabarimala, only Rs 18 crore was allotted.
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Kerala HC says will not allow excessive police intervention in Sabarimala
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Chennithala said it was police high-handedness. “Innocent devotees who sought shelter at Valiya Nadappandhal were also arrested. They all are not Sangh Parivar activists who reached there to create trouble. Arresting real devotees, who climb the hills to offer prayers, could not be accepted,” he added.
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Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala attacked CM Pinarayi Vijayan over the police action against devotees at Sabarimala Sannidhanam and asked if Kerala was under the rule of Hitler.
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Police have booked 40 BJP-Yuva Morcha workers in Thodupuzha for hurling stones at police station and vandalising KSRTC buses. However, no arrests have been made
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Namajapa protests outside the CM's hall in Kozhikode
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Kerala CM Pinarayi addresses a meeting of KUWJ in Kozhikode
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Reshma Nishanth, from Kannur, heads to Sabarimala. She has reached Ernakulam.
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Alphons Kannanthanam criticised the state government for the police action at Sannidhanam on Sunday
Asserting that his government was with the devotees, Pinarayi said it was being targeted for trying to implement the Supreme Court order permitting entry of all women into the shrine.
Kannanthanam visits Nilakkal
Union minister Alphons Kannanthanam, on a visit to Nilakkal, Pamba and Sannidhanam to take stock of the various facilities at the hill shrine, lashed out at the state goverment, saying the temple complex had been turned into a "war zone" and devotees were being treated as "dacoits".
Citing lack of basic amenities, the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), which manages the temple, moved the Supreme Court seeking more time to implement its September 28 verdict allowing women of all age groups to pray at the hill shrine.
The TDB move came amid the stand-off over entry of women in the 10-50 age group, traditionally barred at the shrine.
Three women want to visit shrine
The day also saw three young women expressing their desire to visit the holy shrine, but in a "friendly atmosphere".
Reshma Nishant and Anila from Kannur district and Dhanya from Kollam district said they had been observing the "vritham" (the mandatory austerities for visiting Sabarimala) for visiting the shrine.
Since the September 28 top court verdict, no women in the 10-50 age group has succeeded in offering prayers at the shrine, where the deity is "Naishtika Brahmachari" (perennial celebate).
About a dozen women, including social activist, Trupti Desai, had made futile efforts to go to Sabarimala.
A division bench of the Kerala High court, comprising Justices P R Ramachandra Menon and N Anil Kumar, reprimanded police for acting against the devotees and warned of stringent action if such incidents were repeated.
Sixty-nine people, picked up from the temple complex early Monday and subsequently arrested, were produced before a court here this evening and remanded to 14 days judicial custody.
The men, who had participated in the "nama japam" (chanting the name of Ayyappa) protest were detained late Sunday from the temple complex after they refused to vacate the "nadapandal" (pathway leading to the shrine) despite repeated pleas by the police.
Protesting the police action, activists of the BJP, its youth wing Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) and other right-wing outfits on Monday escalated their protests across Kerala.
Meanwhile, five Yuva Morcha activists waved party flags and two of them tried to jump in front of the chief minister's convoy Monday morning.
Two of them have been arrested, Kozhikode district police chief S Kaliraj Mahesh Kumar told PTI.
The activists also took out a march to the state secretariat in Thirvananthapuram.
'Khalistan model'
Slamming the RSS, CPI(M) state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan alleged the RSS had launched "Khalistan model" agitation in Sabarimala to take control of the shrine.
Senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala said the government was trying to "brand" Ayyappa devotees as Sangh Parivar activists.
Declaring an "open agitation" against the state government over the issue, he said a UDF delegation, comprising coalition leaders, would violate the prohibitory order clamped in Sabarimala on Tuesday, if the state government did not withdraw it
BJP state unit chief P S Sreedharan Pillai demanded a judicial probe into the police action.
As the shrine opened on the third day of the "Mandala Makkaravillaku" pilgrimage season, there was a steep fall in the arrival of devotees, especially from Kerala.
According to police sources, so far around 60,000 devotees have visited the shrine since it opened Friday evening for the 64-day annual pilgrimage season.
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