‘Vigilantism will not be allowed at Sabarimala’

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday made it clear that his government would not file any review petition in the Supreme Court on the issue of women’s entry into Sabarimala and that his government would provide protection to who reach Sabarimala for darshan.

The government is committed to implement the Supreme Court verdict and no one will be allowed to protest against it at the hill shrine, he said. “All devotees can go to Sabarimala and have darshan. For this, the government will provide all facilities,” he said.

However, the situation was different on the ground with protesters stopping women several kilometres ahead of the hill shrine.

Meanwhile, a last-ditch effort by the Travancore Dewasom Board (TDB) to avoid confrontation between pro- and anti-verdict groups failed with a meeting with major stakeholders — including representatives of the tanthri family, the erstwhile royal family of Pandalam and various organisations of Ayyappa devotees — failing to reach a consensus. TDB, which runs the temple, rejected the main demand of the protestors that the status quo be maintained till SC takes a decision on the review petitions pending before it.