The Kerala Police on Wednesday appeared focussed on preventing agitators from turning the vicinity of the sanctum and the “holy steps” into a platform for anti-women protests when the Sabarimala temple opens to a potentially tempestuous Mandalam-Makaravilakku season on November 17.
Their strategy for upholding the peace seemed to be centred on denying possible agitators a chance to linger near the temple. They wanted to ensure that the outflow of pilgrims matched the inflow, thus denying committed groups intent on a direct action the opportunity to encamp at the Sannidhanam.
Ideally, the police wanted the temple authorities to shift the multiple counters that sell aravana and appam, traditional offerings at the temple, to a less sensitive locality downhill. Law enforcers were also reportedly in touch with the authorities to persuade them to distribute ghee offerings to pilgrims in a manner that did not cause long queues or gridlocks in the temple area. The Travancore Devaswom Board is likely to take a call on the proposals in consultation with other stakeholders.
A senior officer said that any protest at the Sannidhanam would severely reduce the options of the police to respond proportionately.
Tackling protesters
Organisations such the Ayyappa Dharma Sena, which is opposed to the entry of women between the “prohibited” age of 10 and 50 to Sabarimala, have declared their resolve to prevent women of childbearing age from worshipping at the predominantly male-only shrine.
The police seemed to have struck on a twin-pronged strategy to weather the rough and tumble of the religiously sensitive pilgrimage season. They would focus on pre-empting and de-escalating probable law and order situations while enhancing the law enforcement’s force projection and visibility by deploying more riot-control officers and special forces personnel at the pilgrim centre.
A senior officer said the police were likely to requisition additional forces, including India Reserve Battalions, from neighbouring States when the pilgrim arrival peaks at the height of the Makaravilakku season. He said the outcome of the all party-meeting to be chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday would have a bearing on the policing strategy for Sabarimala.
Law enforcers said a fool-proof plan to provide safe passage to women to the sanctum and back, without ratcheting up the latently eruptive situation at Sabarimala, still eluded them.
More than 550 women between the age of 10 and 50 have declared their intent to visit the shrine.
