The renowned Sabarimala temple in Kerala is in the midst of a crisis as poor crowd management measures have led to chaos, prompting many pilgrims to abandon their pilgrimage. Devotees from Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and various parts of Kerala are reportedly returning home without visiting the hill shrine due to the uncontrollable crowd.

Reports indicate that the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) and the Kerala Police are facing criticism for their failure to manage the surge of pilgrims effectively, resulting in extended waiting times. Allegations suggest discrepancies in pilgrim statistics, with police claiming the TDB was admitting five times more people through spot bookings than before. However, the Board denies these accusations.

The conflict between the two entities has intensified as the number of pilgrims has skyrocketed, causing severe congestion and frustration among devotees. The situation has reached a point where pilgrims have resorted to jumping over barricades, leading to an uncontrollable rush near the holy steps.

Adding to the turmoil, an 11-year-old girl lost her life while waiting in the long queue for darshan. 

Where is Pinarayi Vijayan?

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan is on a statewide Vinodhayatra along with his entire cabinet on a luxury bus, which began from Kasargod in November and is passing through all 140 Assembly constituencies. 

It is alleged that a large number of police are accompanying the CM on this yatra, which is one reason why there are fewer police personnel at Sabarimala. 

Crowd at various points

Several factors contribute to the poor crowd management at Sabarimala. At the Sannidanam, it is alleged that there is a lack of experienced police officers who previously served at Sabarimala, compounded by a new batch of officers taking charge during the heaviest influx of pilgrims. This new team had insufficient time to study and implement crowd control measures at specific points around the temple premises. The failure of the police to identify peak pilgrimage days through the virtual queue system and plan accordingly has further exacerbated the situation. 

News reports indicate that earlier, 100 devotees would climb the sacred Pathinettaam padi (18 steps) per minute, but now, due to the inexperienced police stationed there, this number has fallen to 60-70 per minute. 

At queue points, particularly at Sabari Peedam, the heavy rush results in serpentine queues extending to upper Appachimedu, leaving pilgrims stranded in inhumane conditions for hours. Fatigued pilgrims, standing for extended periods, resorted to breaking the queue and taking forest routes to reach Swami Ayyappan road, causing further congestion and disrupting crowd control measures. Dangerous scenarios are arising due to heavy congestion at barricaded areas, where pilgrims attempt to rush from Marakootam to Chandranandan Road. 

The six queue complexes between Marakootam and Saramkutti often become jam-packed, admitting more pilgrims than they can accommodate, worsened by unsanitary conditions in the toilets. Pilgrims face a minimum four-hour wait before reaching the Pathinettaam padi.

At Pampa, police were seen blocking pilgrims at Pampa Manappuram to control the crowd at Sannidhanam, forcing pilgrims to endure hours under the scorching sun without arrangements for drinking water.

At Nilackkal, poor coordination between the police and Kerala State Road Transportation officials exacerbates the situation, leading to a shortage of buses during peak pilgrimage times.

Reports also highlight clashes between police and volunteer groups attempting to provide food and water to devotees.

Hajj vs Hindu devotees

It is alleged that Hajj pilgrims are given better treatment compared to Hindu pilgrims in their own country while visiting their own temples. 

The overcrowding separated Several children from their fathers/family members. Heartwrenching videos of little boys and girls looking for their fathers were making the rounds on social media platform X and stoked the anger of netizens around the world.

Such is the state of Hindus in the so-called Hindurashtra. How long will Hindus be treated as second class citizens while minorities enjoy our tax benefits? It is high time our temples are freed from the clutches of our politicians.