The Sabarimala pilgrim centre in Kerala remained on the boil for the third consecutive day. Protests erupted on Saturday over the attempt of Manju, a young Dalit woman activist, to visit the hilltop shrine following the Supreme Court’s order permitting women of all age groups to worship at the temple.
Ms. Manju, from Chathannur in Kollam district, turned up at the Pampa police station seeking protection to undertake the 5 km trek to the shrine. Officials tried to convince her of the risks involved in the climb through the forest path, in heavy rain and amid belligerent protesters.
The activist, president of the Kerala Dalit Mahila Federation, insisted at first that the police were duty-bound to ensure her protection. But after a seven-hour wait, the activist left Pampa at 6 p.m.
Inspector General of Police Manoj Abraham and other officials tried to convince the woman of the risks involved in undertaking the trek through the forest path, in heavy rain and amid belligerent protesters. However, the woman activist was unrelenting. Meanwhile, police sources said they were collecting information on various criminal cases pending against her as an activist.
The situation at Pampa and the Sannidhanam soon turned volatile with pilgrims starting prayer gatherings to protest the woman activist’s move to enter Sabarimala by 3.30 pm.
Amid the torrential downpour in the Sabarimala forests, a batch of nearly 200 devotees squatted in the foothills of the Neelimala, the entry point to the trekking path leading to the hillock, to check any attempt by the police to escort the activist to Sabarimala.
After assessing the situation, the police conveyed their inability to provide protection to Ms.Manju owing to the heavy rain and the vehement protests by devotees at Pampa, Marakkoottom and at Sannidhanam. Finally, after a seven-hour-long wait at the Pampa police station, the activist decided to return, stating that she would return soon to visit the temple. She left Pampa by 6 pm.
Manju is the seventh woman below the age of 50 forced to return from Sabarimala in the face of stiff protests by the devotees during the ongoing monthly puja that began on October 18.
Sabarimala witnessed a fairly good pilgrim turnout on Saturday as a large number of pilgrims from Kerala as well as the neighbouring South Indian States utilised the weekend holidays for the pilgrimage.
