NILAKKAL/ SABARIMALA: Of the nearly 800 women in the 10-50 age group who had booked for darshan at Sabarimala through police portal this Mandala-Makaravillakku season, a good number was to visit in initial days. But the first two days have drawn a blank as none of them turned up as anticipated. This, according to senior police officers, may end up as a no-show by most young women this season.
When the official 8 pm deadline for allowing pilgrims to Pampa from Nilakkal ended on Saturday, the police heaved a big sigh of relief. Following the dawn-to-dusk hartal called by Hindu Aikya Vedi to protest the arrest of its leader K P Sasikala from Sabarimala in the early hours of Saturday, a huge police force was deployed at Nilakkal to ensure law and order.
Nilakkal Law and Order Superintendent Yatish Chandra G H said no woman aged between 10 and 50 has come so far.
"We'll act accordingly when someone reaches here. We've taken all measures to prevent any sort of protests at Nilakkal and Pampa," he said, adding they have started using drones for aerial surveillance and track the movement of vehicles and pilgrims.
The police also rubbished reports, of a couple of women aged under 50 having reached Nilakkal seeking to visit Sabarimala, terming them the handiwork of miscreants.
Minister: BJP-RSS has no belief
T’Puram:Dewaswom Minister Kadakampally Surendran has said the RSS, the BJP and other Hindu organisations have no belief in the customs, traditions and beliefs of Sabarimala as they conducted hartal on the first day of Malayalam month Vrischikam causing sufferings and hardships to a large number of Ayyappa devotees and pilgrims. He was speaking to reporters here on Saturday.