Sabarimala rush: Heart-wrenching video of crying child seeking help to find his father emerges; WATCH

Pathanamthitta: Sabarimala has witnessed a huge footfall of devotees for the last five days and the opposition continues to slam the Kerala government over the mismanagement of the crowd. Many of the pilgrims are returning from Pandalam without getting the darshan of Sabarimala temple and Lord Ayyappa due to the overwhelming rush. Meanwhile, a video of a child crying who had lost his way in Sabarimala has surfaced. The footage shows that the child is searching for his father, who was lost in the crowd at Nilakkal. The child, who was screaming in front of the police with folded hands, finally waved his hands when he saw his father.

Meanwhile, the Chief Minister directed the authorities to make more coordinated arrangements given the increase in the number of pilgrims during the Sabarimala season. The arrangement should be made in such a way that it does not harm the pilgrims. Devaswom Minister K Radhakrishnan, Forest Minister AK Saseendran, Chief Secretary Dr. V Venu, Devaswom Board President PS Prashant, State Police Chief Sheikh Darvesh Sahib, Collectors and others participated in the review meeting. 

Reports stated that the crowd at Sabarimala had become unmanageable, and many people left and went home after visiting the Valiya Koyikkal Sree Dharma Sastha Temple in Pandalam.

After waiting for hours without being able to ascend the mountain, devotees return. There is still an overwhelming influx of devotees and absolutely no respite. KSRTC buses became stalled for hours, forcing many people to wait for up to ten hours. From Pampa, KSRTC buses run every ten minutes. Many vehicles are stuck on the forest route for hours. Pilgrims who get stuck in the forest area, including on the Plapalli Ilavunkal Path, do not get water or food. 89,981 people have booked today for darshans while congestion and restrictions continue.

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