HC panel should help solve impasse, says Kadakampally

Thiruvananthapuram: On the second consecutive day of tension at Sabarimala, devaswom minister Kadakampally Surendran demanded a decision from the high court-appointed committee that monitors Sabarimala pilgrimage. He said the panel was appointed by the HC to deal with all issues regarding Sabarimala and the government expected its advice on whether to allow women devotees to worship at Sabarimala as per the Supreme Court order or not.
“The duty of the panel is not to count toilets at Sabarimala. They were appointed following the extraordinary situation arose from the Supreme Court order and protests. The members are all seniors and well experienced persons. They are duty-bound to advise government on such issues,” Surendran told reporters here.

The HC panel consisting of retired high court judges P R Raman and S Siri Jagan and DGP A Hemachandran took a stand on Sunday, when a group of women pilgrims under the banner of Manithi reached Pamba, that the police and Travancore devaswom board should take a decision on the issue. On Monday, the panel reached Sabarimala as per the schedule decided before the onset of the controversy.

Speaking to reporters at Sannidhanam, member of the monitoring committee P R Raman said he was not ready to comment on the minister’s remarks. “But the monitoring committee had already made it clear that it will not involve in the issue of women entry,” he said. The committee has, however, decided to submit a detailed report on the present developments in Sabarimala to the high court.

Surendran said that police were trying to convince the women pilgrims about the seriousness of the situation when the tension was peaking at Marakkoottam. He said the police would arrest women pilgrims if such a need arose. “Police may have to dissuade them as they will have to provide security to 1.50 lakh pilgrims who are around the temple and its premises,” he said. The minister was making it clear that safety of pilgrims and maintaining law and order at the hill shrine was the government’s priority.

Travancore devaswom board president A Padmakumar expressed doubts that the two women who trekked to Sabarimala on Monday were not devotees. “I don’t think the women who visited Sabarimala at this critical juncture are devotees. Their body language doesn’t reflect that of devotees. They are activists and the government should inquire who are sending these activists to Sabarimala,” he said.