Several sections of Malayalam media are reporting that officers of the Kerala police have told the senior leadership of the police department that they will not be able to provide security to ‘activists’ who want to enter the Sabarimala temple, owing to the major law and order challenges that they are facing on the ground. The police are also reported to have said that they will not allow anyone with criminal cases against them to enter the temple.
As per these media reports, not verified by TNM independently, police officials deployed at the Sabarimala Sannidhanam have given a report to the DGP stating that it is not practical to allow women to enter the temple when it is crowded. The report also states that any attempts to allow women to enter the temple in the coming days will aggravate the situation.
The police report reportedly says that the intention of most of the women who are coming to Sabarimala is to attain popularity and attention. The police have requested the DGP to give them the permission to deny entry to women who have criminal cases against them.
After a period of calm in Sabarimala, tensions had risen again on Sunday and Monday, when 11 women from Tamil Nadu’s Manithi organisation and 2 women from Kerala decided to enter the Sabarimala temple on these two days, respectively.
On Sunday, the 11 women from Tamil Nadu had reached Pamba, amidst heavy protests. However, following eight long hours of massive protests and failed discussions with the police, the women decided to return.
On Monday, the two women - Bindu from Koyilandy and Kanakadurga from Malappuram, along with heavy security, managed to climb till Chandranandan road, which was just a kilometre away from the Sabarimala Sannidhanam. But yet again, heavy protests forced the police to return with the two women.