Nilakkal: Ahead of the opening of Sabarimala temple for ‘Chithira Attavishesham’ ritual on Monday evening, the police has beefed up security in an unprecedented manner at Sannidhanam and its base camps.
Nobody including media was allowed by the police to go beyond Nilakkal on Sunday. As many as 2,300 police personnel led by two inspectors general M.R. Ajithkumar and Ashok Yadav have been deployed from Nilakkal to Sannidhanam.
Cops in Nilakkal carried tight checking on every vehicle including KSRTC buses. Only cops and construction workers were let to go to Pampa from Nilakkal.
With the prohibitory orders in force in Pampa and Nilakkal, the protestors split into small groups and stood purported to be Ayyappa devotees along the mountainous pathways. No protest was seen either at Nilakkal or Pampa.
Protesters have vowed to defy the police and stop young women from trekking and the cops to rein in these fringe groups. No devotee can stay more than 24 hours in Sannidhanam while the temple will remain open for 29 hours.
Rahul Easwar, president of Ayyappa Dharma Sena, said they would deploy devotees to stop young women at any cost.
"At least 34 petitions are now before the Supreme Court considering on November 13. We hope the apex court will refer the case to a larger bench (seven-member bench). So we are 100 per cent sure to defend Sabarimala for at least 30 hours," he told Deccan Chronicle.
Prajeesh Viswanathan of Antharashtra Hindu Parishes (AHP) also called upon his followers to protest against young women trying to enter.
Speaking to reporters at Nilakkal, he went on to say that they had readied some 2000 protesters, including women above 50, to obstruct them.
However, police managed to execute its meticulously chalked out plan to implement Supreme Court order.
High-quality CCTV cameras have been installed every nook and corner of Nilakkal and Pampa. Face detecting devices with pictures of people held last time will make identification of miscreants easier.
Police also got information about the presence of protesters from other states. The sanctum sanctorum of the temple will open at 5 pm Monday, and close at 10 pm Tuesday.
