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NEW DELHI : Tamil Nadu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President K Annamalai criticised the Kerala government for their mishandling of devotee footfalls at Sabarimala, on Tuesday.
Annamalai also called on Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin to take action for the devotees’ safety.
Urgent Situation Update at #Sabarimala: Devotees express concern over the lack of security officials at #Sannidhanam, leading to difficulties for children and the elderly.
Despite the continuous flow of pilgrims, safety measures seem inadequate. Reports indicate a surge in… pic.twitter.com/ZRXbTICCGb
— The New Indian (@TheNewIndian_in) December 13, 2023
The renowned Lord Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala experienced an unusually high influx of devotees on Wednesday morning before the auspicious Mandala pooja ceremony at the hill shrine.
ALSO READ: Sabarimala temple faces chaos, criticism due to poor crowd management
Annamalai expressed concerns on microblogging site X, stating that the devotees from Tamil Nadu and other states had not faced such “unpreparedness” before. “Devotees of Swami Ayyappa from TN and other parts of our country visit Sabarimala every year but haven’t faced the kind of unpreparedness as this year. The Communist Kerala Government is caught napping and has pushed the devotees to extreme hardships with zero crowd management & has let the devotees stand in queues for hours without food or water,” he said.
FLASH: Disturbing scenes unfold at Sabarimala as devotees suffer inhuman conditions due to poor management.
Heart-wrenching scenes of children begging police to find their parents. #sabarimalaPilgrim #SabarimalaTemple pic.twitter.com/BMrLMxnZro
— The New Indian (@TheNewIndian_in) December 13, 2023
He urged the CM Pinarayi Vijayan-led government to ensure basic amenities for the devotees and efficient crowd management. Tagging Stalin’s official handle, Annamalai wrote on X, “We wish to remind TN CM that most devotees stranded in the crowd belong to TN, and we request you to insist on your counterpart for their safety.”
Following the Mandala Pooja, the shrine is slated to reopen for the Makaravilakku rituals on December 30. However, the ritual is slated to go underway at Sabarimala shrine on January 15.
ALSO READ: Kerala reports 292 new COVID cases, 3 deaths
Congress’ Lok Sabha MP Shashi Tharoor also expressed concern, stating he spoke to pilgrims facing difficulties near the shrine. He shared a video of an elderly woman expressing outrage at the discomfort people have to go through to visit the temple.
FLASH: Kerala High Court directs @pinarayivijayan govt. to address concerns of Hindu pilgrims to #Sabarimala, emphasizing the need for enhanced arrangements.
Concerns raised over disparities in treatment compared to efforts for other religious communities, highlighting apparent… pic.twitter.com/59eoFl3Hi8
— The New Indian (@TheNewIndian_in) December 13, 2023
“This lady Sabarimala pilgrim, an outraged senior citizen and devotee, left me in no doubt about all the discomforts she had endured and the shortcomings in the arrangements. Her views were echoed in multiple languages by pilgrims from Telangana, Andhra, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu who approached me with their complaints,” Tharoor wrote.
In response to the situation, the Kerala High Court directed the Travancore Devaswom Board to provide water, snacks, and other facilities to devotees.
Presently, the HC has noted that devotees, including children, were stranded for over 12 hours without food or water on the road to Sabarimala.
