Makaravilakku preparations at Pullumedu, police gear up safety measures
Makaravilakku festival preparations are underway at Pullumedu with enhanced safety measures following the 2011 tragedy.
Makaravilakku festival preparations are underway at Pullumedu with enhanced safety measures following the 2011 tragedy.
Makaravilakku festival preparations are underway at Pullumedu with enhanced safety measures following the 2011 tragedy.
As part of the Sabarimala Makaravilakku festival preparations, District Police Chief KM Sabu Mathew led a review of Pullumedu arrangements, visiting the region to assess readiness for the Makarajyothi darshan.
The inspection included a review of barricades installed by the Public Works Department to ensure pilgrim safety, and of the lighting works being carried out by the Revenue Department along the 12-kilometre stretch from Pullumedu to Kozhikanam. While permission was earlier granted up to Uppuppara during previous pilgrimage seasons, this year, official vehicles will be permitted only up to Pullumedu.
Additionally, pilgrims will not be allowed to return to Sannidhanam via the Pullumedu route after witnessing the Makarajyothi. To enforce this, an additional 125 police personnel will be deployed, the District Police Chief said. DySPs TA Yoonus and Vishal Johnson, along with Azhutha Range Forest Officer D Benny, were also part of the inspection team.
The Pullumedu tragedy, which claimed 102 lives, is set to complete 15 years on January 14. The disaster occurred on January 14, 2011, at Uppuppara near Pullumedu, when Ayyappa devotees returning after witnessing the Makarajyothi were trampled to death due to overcrowding, while others died from suffocation.
In addition to the inadequate safety measures, fatalities also occurred when devotees climbed uncontrollably onto a vehicle parked at a bend along the pilgrimage route, causing it to topple over the crowd.
All the victims were devotees from Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and other states. In the aftermath of the tragedy, the clothes and belongings of the deceased pilgrims were reportedly stored for nearly a year in a room at the Vandiperiyar Police Station. Following the incident, traffic on the Kozhikanam–Pullumedu route was banned as per a High Court order.
After the disaster, routine inquiries were conducted, and the Justice Hariharan Nair Commission submitted a detailed report to the government. The Crime Branch also carried out a parallel investigation. also carried out a parallel investigation.