Satheesan slams Kerala govt, TDB over Sabarimala crowd mismanagement

Leader of Opposition in the Kerala Assembly, V D Satheesan on Tuesday accused the state government and the Travancore Devaswom Board of failing to control the unprecedented crowds at Sabarimala, and of being responsible for the “horrific situation” faced by devotees during the ongoing annual pilgrimage season.

He also sought the urgent intervention of the Kerala High Court in the matter, as the current situation is reportedly reminiscent of the 2023 crisis.

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In a statement here, Satheesan claimed the state government and TDB failed to provide basic facilities such as drinking water, proper sanitation (bio-toilets), and sufficient food supply for the massive influx of pilgrims.

He alleged that an inadequate number of police personnel were deputed, leading to a breakdown in crowd management systems, with reports of pilgrims fainting or having to abandon their pilgrimage halfway due to long waits in congested areas.

The absence of central forces like the NDRF and RAF, typically involved in crowd control, has exacerbated the situation, he said.

Dismissing the government’s explanation that the model code of conduct for the local body polls prevented timely preparations, Satheesan said the arrangements should have been planned months in advance.

Linking the crowd management issues to the ongoing controversy regarding discrepancies in the gold plating of temple idols, Satheesan alleged that after the gold looting in Sabarimala, the government and the Devaswom Board have brought the pilgrimage season in disarray.

Reports say that the authorities are struggling to manage the pilgrim flow, with entry to the temple now being restricted to one lakh per day and spot bookings limited to 20,000 daily to normalize the situation.

BJP leader and former Union Minister V Muraleedharan said there had been a “major lapse” in arrangements and accused the Pinarayi Vijayan government of being “interested only in looting, theft and violating customs”.

A massive surge of pilgrims at Sabarimala has led to severe crowding, during which a devotee collapsed and died The deceased, Sati, 60, from Koyilandy in Kozhikode, collapsed at the Appachimedu area of Sabarimala.

Chaos continued on Tuesday at Sannidhanam, where a heavy rush has led pilgrims to break through the barricade in front of the pathinettam padi. Many devotees returned without getting darshan. Several who came via Pampa proceeded to the Pandalam Valiyakoikkal Temple, performed ‘neyyabhishekam’ , removed their garlands and returned home.

Meanwhile, Travancore Devaswom Board(TDB) President K Jayakumar said the crowding at Sabarimala was due to inadequate preparations. He said the situation was alarming but that efforts were underway to bring it under control.

Congress Working Committee member Ramesh Chennithala said that all government systems have failed even before the Sabarimala season has begun. Hundreds of pilgrims are returning home without getting darshan even after waiting for fifteen to twenty hours. Not even basic facilities were provided for them anywhere on the forest path.

Even the newly-appointed Devaswom Board President K Jayakumar openly admitted that the situation in Sabarimala is in dire straits , Chennithala said.