Sabarimala turned into a police stronghold on Saturday. The State police have deployed more than 2,300 officers to stymie any attempt to foment trouble at the pilgrimage centre when the temple opens for special puja on November 5 evening. The temple will close the next day and reopen again on November 17 for the annual pilgrimage season.
The police said pilgrims had begun trickling into Nilackal, the base camp 26 km downhill from the Sannidhanam. Their numbers are expected to swell. The State Police Headquarters is in touch with its counterparts in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh to collect intelligence on pilgrim vehicle movement and the number of incoming women devotees to calibrate security arrangements.
Commando unit
A communication issued by the police said Additional Director General of Police, South Zone, Anil Kant would be in charge of the security arrangements, with ADGP, Headquarters, S.Ananthakrishnan coordinating the operations. IGs M.R.Ajithkumar and Ashok Yadav have been put in charge of security and maintenance of law and order at the Sannidhanam, Marakkoottam, Pampa, and Nilackal.
A 20-member police commando unit would be deployed at the Sannidhanam, Nilackal and Pampa.
As many as 100 women police officers would also be on duty. The police anticipate a possible repeat of the violence that marred the opening of the temple on October 17. Hindu right-wing outfits had attacked a few women pilgrims when they attempted to trek up to the shrine on the strength of a Supreme Court order in September.
The Bharatiya Janata Party has backed the move of “Save Sabarimala” campaigners to prevent women from worshipping at the temple. The police said they would not allow anyone to turn the pilgrim centre into a hotspot for political protests. No one would be allowed to pitch camp at Pampa or the Sannidhanam or spend more than 16 hours at the locales.
Police escort for women
An official said a decision had been taken to provide police escort for women intending to worship at the sanctum. Plain-clothes officers would cover the uphill forest track to prevent radical elements from bullying women as had occurred when the temple opened for monthly puja in October.
Artificial intelligence-powered computer programmes would analyse surveillance video images and trigger alerts if any violence or gridlocks occurred on the trekking path.
