Updates at 17/11/2018 21:30Hrs.
No young woman made any attempt to start their journey from Pampa today. But
Marie Sweetie, the woman who made the most comical attempt last time did try coming in again. Her first attempt was when the frusturated police had brought down Kavita Koshi and Rehana Fathima from the hill, and there was Marie Sweetie waiting to go. She said that he gets such instructions via Telepathi etc. Perhaps this time also she got such a message, but was identified and stopped at a place Chengannur. Then she reduced her demand; that she only plans to go till Pampa river point. Finally she went back to Kazhakootam near Trivandrum from where she came in. I am amazed at the devotion to Lord Ayyappa from X'ians and Muslims
.
The current hot issue is the
"Sanitisation of Sannidhanam/hill top" in the night. The police is forcing every pilgrim to go down the hill and asking them to climb up again if they have to do
Ghee Abhishekam (a mandatory ritual, which kind of completes the pilgrimage). Yesterday it was a big problem that devotees had to hang around the trekking path (with no food or sanitary facilities) and then get back again to do the
Ghee Abhishekam. Tonight also the police is trying to do the same thing. The hill top has 13 hotels + 2 light food stalls. This time around only 6 hotels are operating (as there were no more applicants for the tender). The businessmen who take the contracts have all withdrawn, because they feel there would only be losses if they take the contract this year around.
The current police strategy is to stop pilgrims trekking up by around 1800Hrs (or when the crowd at the hill top goes beyond a limit). Then at 2300Hrs the crowd at the hill top is just forced to go down hill again, and then kind of just survive there for the night. Then come back up again at around 0200 Hrs the next day, and then do the
Ghee abhishekam starting at around 0300Hrs. The police have asked the timings of
Ghee abhishekam to be extended, but don't know if the chief priest would agree to this. There are back-to-back Poojas till around afternoon 1230Hrs. Looks like there would be some
negotiations happening tomorrow.
Mean while
K.Surendran @ Ulli/Onion Sura the BJP leader has landed up at Nilakkal base camp, and the police has decided to take him to preventive custody. Where as the
Hindu Aikya Vedi leader
Sasikala has been released on bail and also granted permission to visit the temple. The BJP strategy seems to be to send up some leader (and his followers) one after the other to the hill temple, like the
Kamikaze wave air strikes of WW II
.
Dileep wrote:At this point, the sannidhanam is left with just the last line of defense. The police is occupying the vital nada panthal, and not allowing anyone to stay there. It would be terrible if the bolis attempt a penetration tomorrow.
Considering the police attitude, that could be a possibility. But it would also be a very risky attempt. Remember that the poor pilgrims are all pushed and held back at
Marakoottam which I guess is around 900mts to 1000mts away from the
Nadapanthal area. The police will have to then ensure that the women agents are brought up to the hill some time during the previous day itself. They will then have to be kept hidden in one of the government facilities out there. And next day at 0400Hrs quickly take them and try to get the
darshan; while still holding back the pilgrims at
Marakoottam and NOT allowing more pilgrims to start from Pampa river point. But what happens next? The fact that young women made an attempt would be known soon. The police & the women at Sannidhanam would be facing a big crowd of angry pilgrims. And then there are no escape routes for the police and the women (other than one path through hills & forests). They can never go back the most commonly used route to trek down hill.
The government at this point is severely facing a backlash. The will power of the
Ayyappa bhakthas are now clearly been proven. Courtesy Trupti Desai, pretty much every one who watch television now knows what has happened. Pilgrims from other states have also arrived in large numbers. And TDB talks about going to the Supreme Court again. The government's communist/socialist philosophies and "explanation meetings" and the whine that
we are implementing court order onlee are not getting many buyers.
PS: I am unable to give news references completely in English as many news portals are not putting the latest incidents or evolving situations.
PPS: Don't know if the Malayala Manorama news paper have come up with the Sabari Mala topography map. Generally they are the "experts"
in putting up maps/layout pictures for even surgical strikes. A map, may give many people insight on the whole Sabari Mala area.
Click here to get a Google Maps view of the place.
. But looks like there were also disgruntled people who were not happy on justice served using social media.
