Thiruvananthapuram: Maintaining equidistance between advocates of the ban on Kuthiyottam rituals and ardent devotees, Devaswom Minister Kadakampally Surendran said that the ritual would go on, as usual this year and discussions about it could take place later. "Kuthiyottam as a ritual has been a tradition for a very long time. There is no immediate need to stop it. More children have enrolled for Kuthiyottam this year. So, it will be held in a better manner than in previous years," he told the media.
"On the other hand, there have been examples of some age-old ritual being stopped. So, we can discuss it later. We will study whether child rights violation happens during the ritual," he added. The Kerala State Commission for Child Rights Protection had registered a suo moto case based on news reports of Director General Prisons R Sreelekha terming the ritual a violation.
The ritual involves piercing the flesh of children with pointed silver hooks. The children have to observe penance by staying in the temple, away from home to serve the goddess. The Commission was against similar rituals in places like Chettikulangara. A doctor in Attukal area also opposed the ritual after treating boys for infection of the wounds.
