Sabarimala Crowd Row: Protests Surge in Kerala, CM Vijayan Says Situation Under Control

Tensions escalated after an 11-year-old girl passed away while trekking to the Lord Ayyappa shrine at Sabarimala.

To manage the rush, the temple has extended the darshan timing for an hour.  ( Image Source :PTI )

Widespread protests have erupted in Kerala following perceived mismanagement at the Sabarimala temple, exacerbated by a surge in pilgrim numbers this year. Tensions escalated after an 11-year-old girl passed away while trekking to the Lord Ayyappa shrine at Sabarimala. Amid these concerns, CM Vijayan addressed the situation and acknowledged daily influx of over 85,000 pilgrims.

Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan said, "There is no uncontrollable situation in Sabarimala. Everything is under control in Sabarimala. The government has handled the whole situation with utmost seriousness and we will move forward similarly. In the first days of the last Mandala season, the average number of pilgrims was 62,000 (per day) but it increased to 88,000 (per day) in the 4 days from December 6."

On Sabarimala mismanagement issue, SP Pathanamthitta V Ajith Kumar said, "The number of pilgrims has gone above 90,000 (every day). We will ask KSRTC to ply more buses for the pilgrims. Today, the number of pilgrims is around 80,000. The crowd situation is underway control."

#WATCH | On Sabarimala mismanagement issue, SP Pathanamthitta V Ajith Kumar says, "The number of pilgrims has gone above 90,000 (every day). We will ask KSRTC to ply more buses for the pilgrims. Today, the number of pilgrims is around 80,000. The crowd situation is underway… pic.twitter.com/oJogdus67r

— ANI (@ANI) December 13, 2023

 

On the Sabarimala mismanagement issue, LoP of the Kerala Assembly and Congress leader, VD Satheesan said, "UDF had sent a delegation to Sabarimala to find out what was happening there. They submitted a report, and the situation there is pathetic as per the report. There is no coordination between different agencies involved in the management of pilgrims."

"Some pilgrims had to wait up to 20 hours for their turn to go to the temple. The lack of experienced police personnel deployed there has led to this situation. Devaswom Board has also made a similar complaint. We will demand from the govt to make arrangements for the pilgrims," he said.

In the mandalam season, the first 19 days of the pilgrim season, 62,000 odd pilgrims visited Sabarimala. Later, the number sharply went up to 88,000 in the next four days since December 6. 

To manage the rush, the temple has extended the darshan timing for an hour.