Kerala HC slams poor crowd control at Sabarimala, suggests measures

Kochi: The Kerala High Court on Wednesday strongly criticised the authorities after an unusually large crowd caused chaos in the Sabarimala temple area on Tuesday, stating that the situation spiralled out of control mainly due to a lack of proper coordination among officials.

It also blamed the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) for failing to make the required preparations, asking why earlier instructions had not been followed.

The judges noted that many of the necessary works should have been completed six months ago. The court also questioned why so many people were allowed into the temple area at once.

It suggested dividing pilgrims into separate sectors to better manage the crowd, rather than pushing everyone forward together, which it said was unsafe.

Sharing the court's concerns, newly appointed TDB chairman K Jayakumar admitted that preparations should indeed have been taken six months ago.

Nearly two lakh devotees reached the Sabarimala Ayyappa shrine within 48 hours of the temple opening on November 17, overwhelming the TDB and police as they struggled to manage the massive crowd, including many children, on Tuesday.

Television visuals showed pilgrims packed tightly near the 18 steps and along the route from Pamba to Sannidhanam, with long delays, crying children, and some devotees even climbing over barricades.

There were also complaints that pilgrims who stood in queues for hours did not receive drinking water.