BENGALURU: The Bureau of Civil Aviation Safety (BCAS) on Monday evening decided to permit pilgrims heading to Sabarimala to carry coconuts in the cabin baggage on flights across India. The decision comes in the wake of several pilgrims being told by the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) security personnel that the Irumudi should be put in the check-in baggage.
Joint Director of BCAS, Jaideep Prasad, told The New Indian Express, “We have been receiving requests in this connection from our regional offices. Keeping religious sentiments in mind, we have decided to permit coconuts to be carried in the cabin baggage during the Sabarimala season. Of course, all airports will be asked to deploy additional security staff to facilitate the screening of the pilgrims.” The coconuts were not permitted earlier in line with the safety standards followed globally, he added.
Meanwhile, the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), which carries out security checks, has been telling the pilgrims to put the coconuts into the check-in baggage. “We have been facilitating it and helping them to do it smoothly and quickly,” said a top CISF official.
A designer of lights from Bengaluru had tweeted to the CISF a few of days ago accusing them of offending a pilgrim by mocking the carrying of prasad, calling it “insensitive and cruel.” While the Irumudi was permitted as hand baggage earlier, the new rule disallowing them inside the cabin was introduced last year, said a security official. “This being the first pilgrim season post-pandemic, there is a huge rush to Kerala with many who missed out during the last two years keen to make it this year,” he said.
Irumudi is the only travelling kit which a Sabarimala pilgrim carries on his head during the pilgrimage. Without the Irumudi, one is not allowed to step on the 18 holy steps at the Sannidhanam of the temple. In early 2018, separate trays were earmarked by the CISF at KIA for the sake of scanning of the Irumudi as pilgrims objected to them being placed in trays where shoes of other flyers were kept for scanning.