Sabarimala stand-off: prohibitory orders in 4 places

Sabarimala: The doors of the Lord Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala were opened Wednesday for the first time since the Supreme Court allowed women of menstrual age to enter the shrine but by all indications none from the 'banned' age group could come anywhere near it amid protests and violent clashes.

Tense situation prevailed at the entry routes to the Sabarimala, after a group of agitators clashed with the police, and heckled women journalists and devotees proceeding to the hill shrine.

As the violence escalated, authorities said Section 144 would be imposed in Sannidhanam, Pamba, Nillakkal and Ilavunkal on Thursday. The Pathanamthitta collector said that the prohibitory orders would not affect the pilgrims and was issued to stop the agitations.

Hartal Thursday

The Kerala Police have also stepped up security in view of the increasing agitations and the two hartals called by fringe outfits on Thursday against the Supreme Court decision to allow entry of all women to Sabarimala temple. The BJP-led NDA has also backed the hartal called by 'Sabarimala Samrakshana Samithi (outfit of devotees). Another hartal was called by Antharashtriya Hindu Parishad led by Pravin Togadia.

Temple opens

Even as streets in Nilakkal and Pamba erupted in tumult, Sabarimala gates were opened at the appointed hour - 5 pm. As per the custom, no poojas were held this evening and the shrine was closed at 10.30 pm. From Thursday onwards, regular poojas and rituals would be held till October 22.

Earlier, the chief priest of the temple had stated he would not shut down the shrine at any cost. Thantri Kandararu Rajeevararu was reacting to reports that said he would lock down the temple and hand over the key to the Pandalam Palace, the custodian of the temple, if young women entered the shrine, defying its customs and traditions. He said shutting down the temple would be against its customs and traditions.  

Rajeevararu reached the hill shrine on Wednesday morning to conduct the pujas coinciding with the commencement of the Malayalam month of Thulam.

Carrying Irumudikettu, thousands of Ayyppa devotees they calmly walked past security personnel to take their place in the long queue.

Though older women and very young girls could be seen in the crowd, none in the menstrual age was spotted.

"No girl or woman in the age group of 10 and 50 has so far visited Sannidhanam (the temple complex) so far," said a senior official of the Travancore Devaswom Board, the body which manages the shrine.

Tension mounts

Traditionalists opposed to the entry of women in the 10-50 age group to the Sabarimala temple despite a Supreme Court ruling took on the Kerala government on Wednesday, forcibly turning back stray women visiting the shrine despite police assurances that no one will be prevented from taking part in the pilgrimage.

Trouble broke out as the agitators, continued to block vehicles of pilgrims and pelted stones, disregarding repeated requests by police to desist from such acts.

As police began a crackdown, the protesters fought pitched battles with them. Later the police used force to disperse the protesters, several of whom ran helter-skelter and entered the nearby forest area.

Incensed over the LDF government's decision not to file a review plea, protesters pelted the police with stones and the latter hit right back with vengeance wielding batons with telling effect, leaving many fallen and writhing in pain on the road.

Women journalists attacked

Simmering tension prevailing in Nilakkal since morning erupted into raucous rowdyism as scores of activists of fringe groups heckled women journalists of at least four national TV channels and vandalised their vehicles.

Protesters wearing black and saffron turbans chased their cars, violently pounding and kicking the vehicles in a bid to stop them from proceeding to Pamba from Nilakkal on way to Sabarimala. At least 10 people from the media, including reporters and photojournalists, were injured and equipment of several of them damaged,

Pandalam Royal members arrested

The police, meanwhile, arrested members of the Pandalam Royal and Sabarimala temple Tantri families, including women, taking part in a protest.

They were taken to a nearby police station, triggering more protests during which two women television journalists also came under attack. "How can the police arrest a very elderly lady of the Tantri family? She was on a peaceful protest. This is not acceptable," said state BJP general secretary K Surendran as he squatted at the site with his supporters.

AP woman returns without Sabarimala darshan as protests mount

Similar protests at various places in and around the temple town on Wednesday forced a 45-year-old woman from Andhra Pradesh and her family to abandon their trip to the Ayyappa temple.

The woman, Madhavi, accompanied by her parents and children began the climb leading to the hilltop temple hours ahead of its opening for the monthly puja rituals. Ten minutes into their trek, accompanied by a police force, the family had to abandon their plans. As angry protesters went after her, shouting and abusing, Madhavi decided to return. Another woman devotee, Liby, who got down at the Pathanamthitta bus stand and was to board a bus to Nilakkal, faced angry devotees who booed her. "I wanted to pray at the Sabarimala temple," she said as police moved her to a safer location.

Activist and Tantri family member Rahul Easwar, was arrested at Pamba.

Barring the ruling Left government, the Congress, BJP and Hindu organisations are on a war path against the apex court ruling.

At Nilakkal, police had to arrest eight protesters who tried to check vehicles for young women in the wee hours of the day. Police personnel, including women, were then deployed on both sides of the road to facilitate traffic. Nilakkal was tense since Tuesday midnight itself when protesters entered a bus and forcefully took away a woman from Chennai. Panchavarna (40) was traveling along with her husband Palani (45). The police soon rescued the couple.

Congress protest

The Congress, which has also come out challenging the Supreme Court verdict, is staging an inter-faith prayer meet at Nilakkal. KPCC working president K Sudhakaran and Anto Antony, MP, are leading the one-day hunger strike.

A fast by the Sabarimala Karma Samithi is also on at Nilakkal. Hindu Aikya Vedi state president K P Sasikala and BJP state general secretary Sobha Surendran are leading the agitation.

Jayarajan's warning

Industries Minister E P Jayarajan warned those staging protest at Nilakkal that they will incur the wrath of deity. The protesters were unaware of what they were doing, he said.

Govt reacts sharply

An embattled state government reacted sharply to the protests.

Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who is in the UAE, said that there a conscious effort to dismantle the law and order situation in the state. He alleged that the BJP and RSS were challenging the judiciary of the country through their protests at Sabarimala. The CM reiterated the government was duty-bound to give security to devotees arriving at Sabarimala.

Devaswom Minister Kadakampally Surendran called the protests 'politically motivated'.

"The BJP-RSS are trying to create tension and destroy the peaceful atmosphere in Kerala for political gain. We know the agenda of the RSS and BJP very well," he said, and insisted the government did not want any confrontation with believers.

The BJP rejected the allegation, saying the government was responsible for the 'collapse' of law and order.