Sabarimala temple row: Devaswom board files plea in SC
Sabarimala, Nov 19: Hindu Aikya Vedi leader KP Sasikala who was arrested on Saturday moved towards temple after she was allowed to have darshan by court. Sasikala was detained on Friday night after she had defied prohibitory orders. She was asked to give an undertaking that she won't camp at the temple top. Superintendent of Police Yatish Chandra said she was allowed only after getting an undertaking.
"A situation worse than emergency is happening here. The devotees are not allowed to go up. Section 144 is imposed for no reason. Devotees are not terrorists. Why do they need 15,000 policemen here?" said Union Minister KJ Alphons who will visit the temple today.
Meanwhile, a large number of BJP and RSS workers protested outside the official residence of Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan on late Sunday night against the detention of over 70 persons at Sabarimala Temple.
The protests broke out ahead of the Sabarimala temple body filing a petition in the Supreme Court today seeking more time to implement the court's September 28 order allowing women of menstruating age to enter the hill shrine.
Sabarimala Karma Samithi calls for statewide hartal, BJP supports bandh call
The members of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its mentor the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) had gathered in front of Cliff House-- Vijayan's official residence at Nanthancode in Thiruvananthapuram.
The BJP leaders will also be meeting Kerala governor P Sathasivam requesting to ensure a peaceful pilgrimage.
The Sabarimala temple had opened on Friday for the third time in a month for the two-month long pilgrim season.
With huge protests marking the 5-day opening of the temple last month, the state government, which promised to uphold the Supreme Court order, has deployed over 15,000 police personnel.