The pouring of mercury at the newly installed mast on the Ayyappa temple premises has once again thrown light on the need to strengthen the security arrangements at Sabarimala.
It was more or less a free-for-all at the holy hillock on Sunday, especially during the installation ceremony. Though the crowd was less than expected, it was enough to make the congestion alarming. There was no proper arrangements to cordon off the temple mast and its immediate surroundings.
Lack of coordination among the police, Devaswom guards and the officials concerned was visible. The Police Department had deployed 216 civil police officers, 23 sub-inspectors, two circle-inspectors, and five woman civil police officers under a Deputy Superintendent at Sabarimala. This is besides a 15-member anti-sabotage team that include the Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad.
Police sources alleged that the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) failed to provide them the list of VIPs visiting Sabarimala for the ceremony, despite the district police authority’s written request.
Mercury was poured on the temple mast when the temple premises was comparatively free after the installation ceremony. Even the surveillance camera installed at the temple entrance, in front of the mast, was found blocked as it was sheathed with the flowers used for decorating the temple.
Joint security audit
Though the Kerala Police and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had conducted a joint security audit at Sabarimala in October, 2016, many of its recommendations that warranted immediate priority were not being executed.
The police sources attribute the failure to implement the recommendations in the joint security audit report to lack of cooperation on the part of the TDB.
However, the TDB as well as various devotees’ organisations were critical of the ‘‘grossly inadequate security arrangements at Sabarimala, despite the reported extremist threat facing the pilgrim centre.’’
Talking to The Hindu , many devotees stressed the need to ensure a foolproof security system at Sabarimala. ‘‘The authorities are bound to clarify as to what made the five arrested persons from Andhra Pradesh to pour mercury on the flag mast, saying that it was part of a custom in their home village. The authorities have miserably failed to protect the custom and practice at Sabarimala, leaving the devotees sad,’’ said N. Velayudhan Nair, general secretary, Ayyappa Seva Sanghom.
