Sabarimala: Why Pinarayi Vijayan and Kerala Police failed to keep their promise to women devotees
On September 28, the Supreme Court allowed the entry of women of all ages into the Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala in Kerala. The five-judge constitution bench, in its 4:1 verdict, said that banning the entry of women into the shrine is gender discrimination and the practice violates the rights of Hindu women.
The verdict has been widely acclaimed for upholding gender equality. As the Left government in Kerala welcomed the verdict, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on multiple occasions reiterated that the state government would take all possible steps to implement the verdict.
This was considered a brave stand by the state government, despite immense pressure from religious fundamentalists.
But what happened on the ground was completely different.
Pinarayi Vijayan and his police failed miserably to control the crisis in the aftermath of the SC verdict.
During the five-day pilgrimage period, at least 15 women between 10 and 50 years had to abandon their journey during various stages of the pilgrimage. The state government and the police made an absolute mockery of their own assurances.
On day one, as a 46-year-old woman from Andhra Pradesh took the trek from Pamba and protesters tried to stop her. She, however, kept walking ahead with police protection. But the damage has already been done by the self-proclaimed custodians of custom who heckled and harassed the woman and her children. After 400 metres of trekking, she was forced to return as her children insisted on going back.
At the same time, Nilakkal, a base camp 25 km from Sabarimala, saw multiple incidents of violence against journalists. Women journalists were specifically targeted by the goons who had arrived apparently to “protect the customs and culture” of the Sabarimala temple.
Vehicles were vandalised, equipment were damaged, even stolen. The vernacular media too was attacked by the protesters. All this happened while the police looked on helplessly. Nilakkal remained tense for over three hours only because of police apathy.
However, it’s not just the police who failed to maintain law and order.
The state intelligence too proved a disaster in handling the crisis. The administration was naive enough to believe the protesters who initially claimed they would only carry out peaceful gatherings in Pamba and Nilakkal.
By the time the state police deployed additional forces in Nilakkal and Pamba, more than 1,000 protesters had already managed to reach Sabarimala to stop the women from entering.
It was only on the second day of pilgrimage that the police showed some intent. Over 200 policemen, led by IG S Sreejith, accompanied a Telugu woman journalist, Kavitha Jakkala, and activist Rehna Fathima. However, the police had to return from Nadapandal (300 metres from Sannidhanam shrine) after protesters gathered in large numbers.
Thereafter, the police seemed more like mute spectators in Pamba and Sannidhanam. The incident also became a huge morale booster for the protesters as they started checking women purely based on how old they looked. On October 20, a 52-year-old pilgrim was stopped and heckled in Sabarimala on the suspicion that she was below 50 years of age. She literally had to beg for the mercy of the protesters to let her inside — the police intervened only after 30 minutes of drama.
The state government certainly has a lot of work to do before the pilgrimage season begins in mid-November.
By now, the government must have realised that it is easier to commit than keeping its commitment.