Thiruvananthapuram: As part of enhancing the security at Sabarimala, the police on Tuesday decided to give notice prescribing a six-hour time limit for darshan to those with a history of creating trouble.
The police will also hereafter nip in the bud any attempts by protesters or devotees to mobilise at sensitive areas of Sannidhanam.
The decision was in the wake of the mobilisation of devotees and protesters at Sannidhanam during the last two days and the presence of some persons with a history of troublemaking at Sabarimala.
The police, however, is in no mood to scale down the existing security arrangements.
Notices will be issued to those turning up for darshan based on police intelligence records. Nearly 4,000 persons were held in connection with Sabarimala women entry related protests during the Thulam month poojas and Sree Chithira Attathirunal.
The police is having digital records of these people and hence identifying them is not difficult. Such persons would be given notice at Nilakkal asking them to return after darshan within six hours.
Police sources said that there was a slight lapse in tackling mobilising of protesters and devotees at Sannidhanam under cover of ‘nama japam’.
The protesters would be maintaining the strategy of assembling one by one. So they need to be dispersed before forming large groups.
A senior police officer said that it was not the security arrangements of the police that was deterring pilgrims to Sabarimala, but the law and order problems created by protesters. observations are that most hardcore devotees from other states were still coming to Sabarimala. But many devotees from the state were keeping off. The demand for a special pass from the police for darshan is also almost nil this time,” said the officer.
Though about 600 women had earlier registered on the police’s digital crowd management system for Sabarimala darshan, police feels that most of them would be rethinking their plans owing to protests.
The police was also learnt to have already received requests from several devotees to postpone their reservation in the digital system.
Meanwhile, the police were also maintaining a vigil on the social media against attempts to spread misleading and sensitive messages in connection with the Sabarimala issue. The police intelligence and cyber wing were monitoring scores of social media profiles from which such messages were spread. The social media cell is also carrying out counter propaganda, including pictures of police helping the devotees at Sabarimala.
