By Sushil Kutty
The ‘Police Raj’ in Sabarimala is being questioned after a night of an unprecedented police-devotee confrontation at the Ayyappa Temple. The Kerala High court sought an answer from the Kerala government Monday morning, seeking to know the source of the order to control the Ayyappa Bhaktan, his travel plans, his eating orders and disorders and whether he has the right to rest for a while at the temple Sannidanam after a hard day’s trek and patient wait for ‘Ayyappa Darshan?’
Stating that the police’s place was ‘this’ side of the barricade and not on the sannidanam side, which is solely that of the bhaktas, a division bench of the Kerala Court sought an answer from the advocate general, pointing out, specifically, that the police cannot take on the responsibilities of KSRTC bus conductor! This, when the KSRTC introduced deluxe conductor-less buses on the Sabarimala route, an achievement lost in the khaki-background.
Sunday night, police arrested 80+ Ayyappa devotees from the temple sannidanam, turning the temple compound into an akhara. Police controls in place at Sabarimala have resulted in a sheer drop in the number of devotees this Mandala season, compared to yesteryears. Boots, belts, caps and the lathi have become symbols of the police controls in place at Sabarimala. Policemen have been told to be “cops” and not ‘Swami Ayyappans’ at Sabarimala.
Around 10.30 pm Sunday, those controls were challenged. Imposition of section 144 at a place where thousands congregate was questioned by devotees. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan caught flak and there was no need to look far for the ‘source’ of the police controls in place at Sabarimala. SP Prateesh Kumar, police chief of Mallappuram stationed at Sabarimala, gave orders for the arrest of the devotees, and Twitter immediately traced his origins to Uttar Pradesh. Senior police officers posted at Sabarimala are mostly non-Malayali.
The Centre made an intervention Monday. Central minister K Alphonse strode into the sannidanam, accusing the Kerala government of declaring ‘devotees’ as ‘terrorists’, saying that such police controls were not even imposed by Stalin, more or less echoing the high court’s sentiments; also alleging that Rs 100 crore in central funds to improve infrastructure facilities at Sabarimala were not used by the state government. He inspected toilets at various points and found them in “pathetic condition.”
This, as overnight Kerala turned into ‘protest ground’ with the BJP holding ‘Namajapa’ protests outside a score and more of police stations, at Cliffhouse, the chief minister’s official residence, and the Maniar Police training camp where the 80+ Sabarimala devotees arrested overnight were being held. Congress leader of the Opposition in the Kerala Assembly Ramesh Chennithala saw in the events a conspiratorial alliance between the CPM and the BJP.
“Is there a government in Kerala?” the Congress asked. “It doesn’t seem so; it looks like the police and BJP have divided Kerala between themselves.” This, as whispers came of six “yuvatis” from Malabar arriving in Ernakulam and holed up in a “secret location” to mount a “yuvati conquest” of Sabarimala anytime in the next couple of days. Allegations are that the police game-plan is to scare devotees from trekking to Sabarimala and leave the temple “unguarded” for a “yuvati intrusion.”
This, as the Travancore Devaswom Board tarried in approaching the Supreme Court for a stay on the top court’s September 28 verdict, a promise the state government made to the Chief Thantri and the ‘Pandalam royal family.’ The Supreme Court on Monday once again refused to speak any further on the issue. “Wait till January 22,” Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi told counsel to a petitioner. Clearly, if the source of all the troubles in Kerala is traced, it will lead straight to the Supreme Court!
That’s a view shared by many an average Malayali, from Thiruvanathapuram to Dubai. A churning is taking place in Kerala society. The wedded to secularism Kerala electorate is splintering into Hindu’ and ‘Muslim/Christian’ enclosures with the BJP and an RSS TV channel gaining vote and TRP, and the Congress losing vote while the CPM standing still to secure the spoils of war. That’s a theory.
But waiting in the wings were Reshma Nishad and a band of women aided by a young male, all of them bent on making history, challenge Swami Ayyappa’s celibacy. Monday, they held a presser at the Ernakulam Press Club and sought protection from the police and secular state. And into a viplavam (revolt) they went, a siege like the one at the Kochi airport. With that the ‘Gender War’ entered another decisive phase. (IPA Service)
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