According to sources after the violent protests against the Supreme Court decision to allow women of all ages into the Sabarimala temple in October, Kerala police came out in full force on the road from Nilakkal, the base camp from where devotees head to Pamba and trek up to the Sabarimala temple. Meanwhile as per report around 1,500 police personnel each has been deployed in the areas of the temple, Pamba and Nilakkal.
Furthermore the intense security measures have been put in place for the Sree Chitra Atta Thirunal pooja commenced at 5 pm on Monday and the ritual ended at 10 pm on Tuesday. Reports added the security measures have not gone down well with hundreds of devotees, who arrived in Nilakkal on Monday morning. Reportedly the police were seen demanding ID cards from devotees, media personnel and others making their way to Pamba, where a number of devotees were asked to deboard the bus in Nilakkal following a round of security checks by the police.
Moreover the devotees then had to walk from Nilakkal to Pamba, causing a traffic jam on the road and they were seen chanting praises to Lord Ayyappa along the way. Further thousands of devotees descended on the checkpoint in Pamba, which is the last point before the trek to Sabarimala and hence several more devotees are still arriving with the temple gates set to open at 5 pm. Further no women between the ages of 10 and 50 have arrived at Pamba claimed the police.
