Sasikala, who was on a pilgrimage to the Lord Ayyappa temple, was taken into preventive custody at 2.30 am Saturday after she allegedly defied directions not to spend the night on the temple complex. Police had decided not to allow devotees enter the temple premises when it was closed for the night.
Following the protests, which took place yesterday, the state government lifted restrictions and allowed pilgrims to stay at the temple premises during the night. However, Surendran, who reached Nilakkal base camp, was taken into “preventive custody”. As part of the restrictions, police had decided to prevent entry of devotees at Nilakkal after 7.30 pm.
At the dharna outside the municipal stadium in Pathanamthitta on a rainy evening, Pillai said the BJP would step up protests in coming days to ensure ‘upkeep’ of rituals and traditions at Sabarimala. “We are exploring all opportunities to expand the protests nationwide. We have also held consultations with the Centre on how to move legally. We will continue to walk on the path of dharma,” he said. He also hinted that a central minister would visit Sabarimala on Monday, ostensibly referring to Alphons Kannanthanam, the MoS for Tourism and IT, who is likely to visit the shrine to take stock of arrangements for pilgrims.
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Julius Nikithas and wife Saniyo Manomi, working with a leading Malayalam news channel, were attacked at Kuttiady as they were going to a hospital in a car to visit a patient on Saturday. Three workers of a right-wing outfit have been arrested so far in connection with the attack and a search was on to nab seven others, they said.
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Taking a strong view of the lack of facilities for devotees at the shrine, visited by lakhs of devotees from all over the country and abroad, the commission directed the Travancore Devawom Board (TDB) Commissioner, Secretary LSGD and DGP to intervene in the matter urgently.
Referring to media reports, the commission said police officials on duty at the shrine have also been denied basic facilities. The officials of local panchayat at Chengannur, Nilackal and Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) are turning a "blind eye" to these "naked violations" of human rights, it added.
The officials have been asked to file a report within two weeks, Commission member P Mohandas said. The Ayyappa devotees visiting the shrine have been denied all basic amenities, the commission said. Read more here
Let me make it clear, CPM is entering a phase of liquidation, Pinarayi Vijayan will be CPM's last chief minister. From November 25-30, BJP will collect signatures of 1 crore people from their homes to hand over to Kerala Governor in support of traditions and rituals at Sabarimala. If we stand together, we will win. No force on earth can defeat us: P S Sreedharan Pillai
Pilgrims are not getting drinking water, no basic arrangements for women, hotels lying shut without being given for auction, pilgrims are reluctant to go fearing police action: P S Sreedharan Pillai at Pathanamthitta. (Express photo)
Men and women fill most seats at the dharna site in Pathanamthitta.
The decision of the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), the autonomous body responsible for the running of the Sabarimala shrine, to seek more time from the Supreme Court to implement its order on the entry of women of all age groups to the temple is a step in the right direction.
The heightened anxieties among the faithful in the aftermath of the court ruling and the subsequent political mobilisations have pushed the pilgrimage to the edge. In this background, any step that may help to alleviate the tension is welcome. The TDB’s conciliatory gesture will hopefully help in the smooth conduct of the pilgrimage. Read more here
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. Unfortunately, the SC order is being publicly challenged here. But interestingly, the target of blame is not the SC but us, the state government. It is being portrayed that the state government has made some mistakes: Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan
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On Friday, after a 14-hour stand-off at Cochin airport, Pune-based activist Trupti Desai was stopped by protesters at Kochi airport as she along with six other women reached Kerala to pray at Sabarimala. She was informed by the police that there would be law and order problem if she visited the shrine. However, she vowed to come back to the state soon to have darshan of Lord Ayyappa.
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Though the devotees visiting the temple were relieved to get more time for 'darshan' due to less crowd, many were unhappy at not being allowed to spend more time at the temple complex.
Some pilgrims also expressed anguish over the fact that it took them over two hours to reach Pamba from Nilakkal, which is just 18 km away. "We reached Nilakkal at around 4 am. But we had to wait till 6 to catch a bus to Pamba. Otherwise, everything was fine for us. We had a good darshan," Coimbatore resident Palaniswami, who was heading a group of 21 people, told PTI.
However, when PTI contacted the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) office at Pamba, they dismissed the devotees' claims about delay in service and said many buses were running with vacant seats.
Surenderan and the others, who were taken into preventive custody, were produced before the Thiruvlla magistrate, who remanded them to 14-day judicial custody.
BJP leader M S Kumar, who was addressing the workers at Thiruvananthapuram, raising the issue of women's entry in the temple said, police had so far not succeeded in bringing even a single young woman to the Lord Ayyappa Temple at Sabarimala after the Supreme Court on September 28 allowed women of all age groups to offer prayers at the shrine.
The BJP/RSS and right wing outfits have made it clear that they would not allow any woman in the 10-50 age group to offer prayers at the shrine, where the deity is "Naishtika Brahmachari" (perennial celibate).
The protesters, including women, blocked roads and could be seen clapping and chanting "Swamiyae Ayyappa". Surendran and two others with him had been taken into preventive custody Saturday night and brought to the Chittar police station, about 50 km from Sabarimala, after they forcibly tried to leave for the hill shrine at Sabarimala. Police had cited law and order issues and tense situation at the temple complex to deter him from going to Sabarimala.
State BJP president PS Sreedharan Pillai alleged that the BJP leaders, including him and K Surendran were being implicated by the CPI(M)-led state government in false cases. 'This is an ideological fight,' he said.
BJP state president PS Sreedharan Pillai and party's sole MLA O Rajagopal will also address dharna in Pathanamthitta town protesting against lack of proper arrangements for pilgrims at Sabarimala
Kerala BJP general secretary K Surendran was taken into “preventive custody” and removed from Nilakkal, a base camp, on Saturday night, hours after Hindu Aikya Vedi state president P Sasikala was detained by the police at Marakootam. Police action on Surendran triggered heavy protests by BJP workers, with party’s state president P S Sreedharan Pillai announcing a state-wide protest on Sunday.