Sabarimala protests Highlights: Kerala High Court expresses displeasure over police action

Equating the police action against devotees at Sabarimala 'Sannidhanam' to 'Operation Blue Star', Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala Monday hit out at Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and asked if the state was under the rule of Hitler.

The Kerala High Court expressed its displeasure over the manner in which Ayyappa devotees were dealt with by the police at the "Sannidhanam" of the Sabarimala temple, reported PTI. 

A division bench comprising justices P R Ramachandra Menon and N Anil Kumar, questioned the alleged police excesses and asked under what authority did the police prevent the devotees from entering the Sabarimala Sannidhanam. The court warned that stringent action would be taken against police officials if such incidents were repeated.

"If there is a court order, the option before the government is to implement it. If women come to Sabarimala following the order, our duty is to take steps to facilitate their entry along with the Devaswom Board," Pinarayi Vijayan told The Indian Express

Travancore Devaswom Board, which manages the Sabarimala shrine,  has moved the Supreme Court seeking more time to implement its verdict allowing women of all age groups to offer prayers at the Lord Ayyappa temple, reported PTI. 

The board has cited lack of basic amenities among other things as the reason for seeking more time from the top court. Pilgrims had said there was lack of adequate toilet facilities, causing immense difficulties especially to women, and rest rooms after the floods in August that had destroyed the infrastructure.

Beginning the middle of November every year, R Vijayan would remember to set his alarm clock to ring at 3 am in the morning every day. For the next two months, the 53-year-old jeep driver has a tight morning schedule. He would wake up every day at 3 am, get ready and drive his jeep around 2 kilometres to the centre of Vandiperiyar, a small, sleepy town in Idukki district of Kerala perched amidst lush tea and coffee plantations. There, he would light his beedi in the darkness of the night and wait patiently for the few state transport buses ferrying Sabarimalapilgrims from Kollam and Thiruvananthapuram districts.

“These are special buses that are run during the season. The pilgrims would get down here and rest for some time before we take them in our jeeps to Sathram, 15 km away, from where they begin the arduous jungle trek to the temple,” says Vijayan.

The trek that Vijayan refers to is one of the alternate and frankly lesser-used routes that Sabarimala pilgrims take every year during the annual ‘mandala’ pooja festivities. Despite its adverse geographical contours, this route offers pilgrims the advantage of reaching the ‘sannidhanam’ (main temple) at Sabarimala directly, bypassing the long queues at Pamba and Nilakkal, the main base camps of the shrine.

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Senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala Monday took on Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan over the police action against Lord Ayyappa devotees at Sabarimala Sannidhanam and asked if Kerala was under the rule of Hitler. He alleged the government was trying to "brand" Ayyappa devotees as Sangh Parivar activists and thus helping RSS recruit people to its fold.

"It is police high-handedness. Innocent devotees who sought shelter at Valiya Nadappandhal (covered pathway) were also arrested. They all are not Sangh Parivar activists who reached there to create trouble. Is Kerala under the rule of Hitler (Nazi ruler Adolf Hitler)," Chennithala told reporters here.

Urging the government to take action only against protesters who reach the hill shrine for disrupting peace there, he said, "Arresting real devotees, who climb the hills to offer prayers, could not be accepted."

BJP state unit President, P S Sreedharan Pillai, described the arrests as 'cruel' and said the party wants a judicial probe into it. The pilgrims were peacefully protesting at 'sannidhanam' against the lack of facilities and stringent restrictions imposed by the police at the temple complex.

Devotees chanting 'nama japam' had gathered at the covered pathway to the temple and had refused to disperse even after the shrine closed at 11 pm. Since prohibitory orders had been imposed, police informed them that they should leave and cannot stay back.

Police sources said they had information that the protesters might create trouble at 'Sannidhanam' and they had take precautionary measures accordingly

She might not have been able to make it to the Sabarimala temple but Trupti Desai has not returned to Pune from Kochi empty-handed. The day-long drama at Kochi airport on Friday was just another day in office for the 33-year-old Pune resident who has made a career out of such agitations.

“She has already achieved her motive. She has got all the attention and publicity she wanted. This is her style,” said Priyanka Jagtap, a former colleague of Desai, in a not-so-flattering tone. Jagtap was associated with Desai’s Bhumata Ranragini Brigade for about a decade before splitting up to go her own way.

Jagtap was only echoing an assessment of Desai that is shared by several, including some current and former supporters: that Desai’s campaigns for seeking entry into religious shrines where women are not allowed are nothing more than publicity stunts and an attempt to build her profile. But there are many others, including a few prominent political figures from the city, who do consider or take Desai and her activism seriously. Even her detractors acknowledge that she is a “brave” and “gutsy” woman.

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"This is not Soviet Russia under Stalin, this is a democratic country. Thousands of police officers are deployed here as if in a bid to instill fear and panic, why? Law and order is the responsibility of the state govt," Union Minister KJ Alphons said.

The Union minister hit out at the Kerala government for turning the Sabarimala temple complex into a "war zone" and treating the pilgrims like "dacoits".

The Sabarimala shrine opened on Friday amid tight security, for the third time since the Supreme Court judgement allowing entry of women of menstrual age inside the temple. However, no girl or woman pilgrim in the 10-50 age group could offer prayers so far. The 41-day mandalam festival will conclude on December 27 after Mandala pooja, when the shrine will close after the 'Athazhapuja' in the evening. It would reopen for the Makaravilakku festival on December 30.As the stand-off continues, Pune-based activist Trupti Desai was Friday stopped by protesters at Kochi airport as she along with six other women reached Kerala to pray at the hill shrine.

Kerala: Visuals of devotees protesting at Nadapanthal area in Sannidhanam last night. They were protesting as the police did not allow them to stay overnight at Nadapanthal. They were later detained by police. #SabarimalaTemple pic.twitter.com/hbcau9xy8r

— ANI (@ANI) November 19, 2018

A situation worse than emergency is happening here, the devotees are not allowed to go up. Section 144 is imposed for no reason. Devotees are not terrorists, why do they need 15000 policemen here? : KJ Alphons MoS Tourism on #SabarimalaTemple issue pic.twitter.com/sOHaC3dAXP

— ANI (@ANI) November 19, 2018

Union Minister KJ Alphons attacked CPI(M) government in the state over the detention of pilgrims at the Sabarimala temple.  Addressing the media in Pamba, he  said, "What is happening here is an administration running a dictatorship, for no reason at all." 

On the second day of the pilgrimage season, the devotees had gathered at the covered pathway to the temple when they were asked to leave Sannidhanam. Due to the early incidents of violence at the hill-top shrine, the police had imposed strict restrictions for devotees at Sannidhanam, including not allowing them to stay back at night.

"Section 144 had been declared in the area. We had asked them to disperse after the Harivarasanam but most of them refused," the SP said, adding that the police was not against the devotees who wished to offer prayers.

Meanwhile, Hindu Aikya Vedi president KP Sasikala has been allowed to go to Sabarimala. She has signed a police condition letter that she will return in 6 hours and will not make any provocative statements to the media. She had been detained by the police at Marakootam on Saturday after she allegedly defied directions not to spend the night on the temple complex.

On Sunday BJP state president PS Sreedharan Pillai and party's sole MLA O Rajagopal had addressed a dharna in Pathanamthitta town, which was held against lack of proper arrangements for pilgrims at Sabarimala.The Kerala Human Rights Commission had also addressed the issue and directed the TDB, DGP and Local Self Government Department to ensure that basic facilities were provided to pilgrims at the temple complex.

Union Minister of State K J Alphons, who reached Nilakkal base camp Monday morning, said he will go to Pamba and Sannidhanam to understand the arrangements that have been made for the pilgrims there.

'Centre had given Rs 100 crore for the renovation-rehabilitation efforts at Sabarimala after the floods. I am going there to check whether the state has spent that money and how they have used it. I have come as a MoS Tourism, not as a BJP leader,' he said.