Prohibitory orders in Sabarimala extended to 4 more days
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Sabarimala: The prohibitory orders issued in Sabarimala and surrounding areas has been extended for four more days.
The Pathanamthitta district collector Thursday night issued an order extending the restrictions under CrPC section 144.
Pamba, Nilakkal, Ilavunkal and Sannidhanam (temple complex) will be under the order.
The dictrict police chief had sought to extend the prohibitory order until January 14.
The collector however, took the decision to extend the order only until November 26 after considering a report from the additional district magistrate also.
There were not be any restriction on devotees chanting mantras of Lord Ayyappa, individually or in groups, according district magistrate also.
There will not be any restriction on devotees chanting mantras of Lord Ayyappa, individually or in groups, according to the collector’s order.
The prohibitory order was issued on November 15 as requested by the police in the wake of recent protests on the temple premises.
The protests were staged by devotees, supported by the Sangh Parivar outfits, who opposed the recent Supreme Court order allowing entry of women of all ages to the temple.
About forty people have been booked for inciting violence at the temple through social media posts. The cases were registered on the basis of probe reports by the hi-tech cell and district cyber cells.
Meanwhile, T Madhavan Namboothiri, chief priest of a temple at Kanhangad in Kasaragod district, who posted objectionable comments on his Facebook page against Devaswom Minister Kadakampally Surerdran on the Sabarimala issue, was suspended.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan Thursday met Governor P Sathasivam and briefed him on the Sabarimala issue.
In another incident, police said, some miscreants threw stones at the residence of a 43-year-old woman, who participated in a press conference at Kochi recently expressing her solidarity with three other women who wanted to visit Sabarimala.
Though the temple witnessed moderate crowd Thursday morning, inflow of pilgrims slowly picked up as the day progressed.
The Ayyappa temple was opened on November 16 for or the over-two-month-long pilgrimage season amid tension.
The Travanacore Devaswom Board, which manages the shrine, said the seventh day witnessed comparatively more crowd.
Though over 50 days have gone by since the Supreme Court delivered its historic verdict, no woman or girl in the traditionally barred age group of 10-50 has been able to set foot in the hallowed precincts of the temple.
