Kerala CM Pinarayi says he won’t allow RSS to turn Sabarimala into another Ayodhya

Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Tuesday, November 20, he would not allow the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) to turn the Sabarimala temple into another Ayodhya.

In a press conference, Pinarayi said, “ I will not allow the Sangh Parivar to make Sabarimala into another Ayodhya. There is a concerted bid to defame the state citing Sabarimala.”

The chief minister justified the action taken by the police on Sunday, November 18, against protesting devotees, saying their intervention helped ease the situation at the shrine to Lord Ayyappa. The present security arrangements at the hilltop shrine will continue to check troublemakers, he added.

In a related development, the Travancore Devaswom Board moved the Supreme Court asking for an extension of time to implement the September 28 verdict in the Sabarimala Temple case. The verdict allowed women between the ages of 10-50 to enter the Sabarimala Temple. A report in the Economic Times stated that TDB told the media that it would approach the Supreme Court citing the law and order situation there as well as other practical difficulties.

The Board claims that a lack of infrastructure has resulted in the delay in implementing the verdict.

A miscellaneous application filed by advocate PS Sudheer stated that the fro women to conduct darshan at Sabarimala restrooms, washrooms and bathrooms for women would have to be constructed at Sabarimala, Pamba and Nilakkal. The application also pointed out the difficulty posed by the order that no permanent constructions were to be built on the banks of Pamba river after the recent flooding in August according to Bar and Bench.

On November 13, the SC agreed to hear arguments of the 49 review petitions filed against its September 28 verdict allowing women to enter Sabarimala, setting a date for January 22. It refused to issue or allow a stay order on its previous 28 September verdict. The temple remains open for Mandalam-Makaravilakku season until January 20.

The State Human Rights Commission chairman Antony Dominic on Tuesday, November 20, reached Sabarimala to review the facilities available for pilgrims.

The former Chief Justice of the Kerala High Court said he would study the situation and report his findings to the Government.

On the third day of the two month-long pilgrimage season, the devotees started agitating when they were asked to move out of 'vavarunada' due to the imposition of section 144 that prohibits assembly of more than four people at a spot.

However, the protesters were soon pacified by the police and taken to Nadapanthal area, a covered pathway in front of the temple, Superintendent of Police (special officer) Pratheesh Kumar said.

The devotees stopped their protest but complained that the newly allotted place was not clean.

Earlier in the day, 69 people, who had protested in the high security zone at the shrine Sunday night, were remanded in 14 days of judicial custody.

Activists of the BJP, Yuva Morcha and other right-wing outfits also stepped up protests across Kerala against the late night police crackdown at the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple complex and the subsequent detention of 69 people.

In the meantime the UDF has found itself in a very difficult position owing to the confusion.

The pro-faithful stance of the Congress led UDF has been viewed as a backing to the BJP and the Sangh Parivar, even though it never favoured the dilution of Sabarimala customs. But the BJP had effectively usurped that role, leaving the Congress to play the second fiddle.