'Maltreatment of devotees...' Opposition slams Kerala govt over mismanagement of crowd at Sabarimala

The Ayyappa devotees were receiving darshans by standing in long queues for about 14 hours. The UDF and the BJP in Kerala lashed out at the Pinarayi government for the mismanagement of the crowd.

Thiruvananthapuram: UDF and BJP lashed out at the state government over the mismanagement of the crowd at Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple. Opposition leader VD Satheesan criticized it as a serious misconduct by the state government. BJP state President K Surendran criticized what the government did to the pilgrims. In response, Devaswom Minister K. Radhakrishnan said that while the multitude could be managed, the devotees coming in by different routes could not. The devotees receive Ayyappa darshans after standing in queues for over 14 hours. The complaint made by the devotees is that there is a lack of facilities in the queue complex. A cold war exists between the police and the Devaswom Board to control the crowd. 

Approximately 75,000 pilgrims visit the temple daily on average, yet no measures are in place to control the crowding and preserve order. The authorities are currently hiding as they are dreadfully failing to make the necessary preparations. The opposition now has every justification to criticise Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan for poor organisation.

UDF team will soon visit Sabarimala given the huge crowd of devotees and widespread complaints. V D Satheesan accused the government of serious irregularities in Sabarimala. The opposition criticized that this time there was no regular meeting between the chief minister and the ministers to assess the situation during the Mandala season.

The UDF alleged that the Devaswom Board said that experienced police officers were not assigned at Sabarimala. Even the Devaswom Minister was not present to address the complaints. The government has failed to address the grievances of devotees. The UDF also demanded that the government should urgently send ministers and others to Pampa and hold review meetings to prepare the necessary facilities for the devotees.

Appointing a legal team to study the complaints of pilgrims about crowding at Sabarimala is under consideration by the High Court. The High Court has moved to send a 12-member legal team. The legal team should visit the queue complex and rest areas and carry out an inspection. The advocacy team will assess the facilities available and the difficulties faced by the devotees.

However, the Kerala government on Monday told the High Court that the crowd at Sabarimala is currently under control. ADGP will appear in person tomorrow and explain. There will be a video presentation of the systems set up to control the pilgrims. The government informed the court that the illegal routes to Sannidhanam had been found and closed. The government also informed the court that there was no need for a legal team to examine the situation.