A massive posse of police has been deployed at Nilackal, the major Sabarimala transit point as the hill shrine opens this evening for rituals ahead of the first day of the Malayalam month, Thulam.

The Sabarimala Protection Council has given a call for a 24-hour hartal from midnight today protesting the government move to allow women of all ages into the shrine as decreed by the Supreme Court.

Series of skirmishes

Meanwhile, a series of skirmishes has been reported from Nilackal last night with tension brewing as Hindu organised launched a vigil against the arrival of women pilgrims of the restricted age group. The police cracked down on protesters, arresting eight persons from the Namajapa pandal of the Sabarimala Aachara Samrakshana Samiti (front for conservation of traditions/rituals) late last night.

The pandal where a sustained prayer vigil was being held by a group of devotees was dismantled by the police forcing all to disperse. This morning, the devotees have resumed the vigil at the site where these pandals stood, reports reaching from Nilakkal said.

The police had also taken control of the main road to Pampa, with Devaswom Minister Kadakampally Surendran driving through under tight security for today's official review meeting.

Law and order

Loknath Behera, DGP, has said that the law and order would be strictly enforced at Nilackal. Nobody would be allowed to stop vehicles of pilgrims. Additional DGP Anil Kant and district police chief T Narayanan are already camping at Nilackal.

Manoj Abraham, IG, THiruvananthapuram Range, has reached Nilackal this morning. He assured provision of security to incoming young women pilgrims. Sasikala Teacher and Sobha Surendran, two firebrand leaders representing the Hindu Aikya Vedi and the BJP, too have reached Nilakkal this morning.

Congress Working president K Sudhakaran and Independent MLA PC George were the other prominent faces to join the protesters at Nilackal.

Security zone

The police have declared Sabarimala a security zone under Section 53 of the Police Act after a tense day as women protesters stopped and screened pilgrims of all Pampa-bound vehicles. Nilackal has been witnessing protests for the last one week with prayers, or Namajapa Yagnam, being held under the banner of the Protection Council and the Aachara Samrakshana Samiti.

Tension has been running high after the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) and representatives of institutions linked to the Sabarimala temple failed to arrive at a consensus. The vehicle blockade continued well into last evening, with women devotees screening all vehicles to ensure that they did not carry young women, before allowing them to proceed beyond Nilackal. This was prompted by the announcement of a few women activists, mainly from the ruling CPI(M) stronghold of Kannur, planning to visit the temple.

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