Chinks in police armour as Sabarimala readies to open for rituals

As tension mounts around the hillocks surrounding the shrine of Lord Ayyappa ahead of its opening for Chithira Aatta Visesham this evening, the State government may have found a chink in its own armour.

At least three top police officers of IPS rank, entrusted with looking after various security aspects along one of the rugged terrains winding up to the shrine, have proceeded on leave.

They are TK Vinod Kumar, Additional General of Police, Intelligence, and P Vijayan and Vijay Sakhare, Inspectors General, all of whom have cited personal reasons for going on leave.

While ADGP Vinod Kumar would be on leave from November 2 to 14, IGs Vijayan and Sakhare have reported to have sought leave for two weeks.

The IGs had been put in charge of security of the most sensitive trek between the transit station of Nilackal, which witnessed worst violence during rituals last month, and the shrine at the hill top.

According to a spokesman of the Office of the Chief Minister, there was no way leave could have been denied to them since they have cited persons reasons for the action.

IG VIjayan has been associated with the shrine for many years now and has made a name for conducting its affairs, especially the 'Punyam Poonkavanam' drive for a clean and safe pilgrimage environment.

IG Sakhare had been given the law and order charge during the Thulamasa Puja last month when the shrine opened the first time after Supreme Court verdict permitting entry of women of all ages.

'Inputs trivialised'

Local media has reported that the manner in which the verdict was sought to be implemented had given cause to concerns amongst some of these officers although it could not be verified independently.

IG Ashok Yadav has been assigned charge of Intelligence in place of ADGP Vinod Kumar. Some reports suggested that these officers were 'miffed' at how the government has been 'trivialising' their inputs.

Meanwhile, the hillocks and forests surrounding the shrine has slipped under the tightest police cordon with a government keen to avoid a repeat of last month's violence.

The State government has deployed at least 3,000 men in uniform across six identified zones, backed up by 'face detection' cameras and artificial intelligence technology to trace out potential trouble makers.

The Sangh Parivar has also been mobilising their resources silently over the past many days and is learnt to have deployed groups of women over 50 years of age to prevent young women pilgrims.

They are fighting a government move to let the youngsters climb the hills, in accordance with the apex court directive to allow women of reproductive of age in, which they fear would 'defile' the shrine.

The Tantris (high priests) at Sabarimala are learnt to have maintained their stand that the temple would be closed down in case of any 'defilement' of the sanctum sanctorum.

Pilgrims blocked

Their stand was made clear to MR Ajit Kumar, IG of Police, during discussions ahead of the opening of the temple for a day from this evening for the Chithira Aatta Vishesham.

Local reports say that devotees arriving in buses from other parts of the state and even outside were blocked overnight by the police on the way to the vulnerable base camps of Nilackal and Pampa.

These vehicles were ordered to a stop at Erumeli, Pathanamthitta, Vadasserikkara and Nilackal, all important transit points or base camps en route to Sabarimala.

The police seems to have relented this morning after the pilgrims mounted pressure, and the vehicles have been allowed to head for Pampa, including private vehicles.

But at Pampa, the police have told the pilgrims that they would be allowed to start the arduous trek to the hilltop only  after 11 am this morning.

At the Valiya Nadappanthal just ahead of the sanctum sanctorum, 15 women police above 50 years of age and of Circle Inspector/Sub Inspector have been deployed to control the women pilgrim crowd.

After the Chithira Aatta Visesham, the temple will close down, and resume on November 17 for the most-awaited annual Mandala Puja-Makara Vilakku festival that lasts until December-end.

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