Southern States
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Kerala
Heavy rush at Sabarimala temple
By Our Staff Reporter
PATHANAMTHITTA, DEC. 6. The Lord Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala witnessed heavy rush of pilgrims today amidst tight security arrangements in view of the state-wide hartal called by the People's Democratic Party (PDP) on the anniversary of Babri Masjid demolition.
As the queue of pilgrims awaiting darshan at the Sannidhanam moved at a slow pace due to extensive security check-ups, the devotees who lined up to Saramkuthi had to wait for hours together.
The DIG, Mr. Baburaj, is camping at Sabarimala to monitor the security arrangements.
The special police bomb squad has set up pickets at Pampa, Pandithavalam, northern gate of the Ayyappa temple, Valiya Nadappanthal and the holy 18-steps to screen the devotees with the help of door-frame metal detectors.
The ghee for Neyyabhishekom and other articles brought by the devotees were subjected to examination with hand-held metal detectors before being taken to the sanctum sanctorum.
The devotees were directed to break the coconuts before the peepul tree at the Lower Thirumuttom and they had to drain out the ghee from the ghee-filled coconuts into a vessel kept on the flyover leading to Malikappuram as part of the security measures.
The holy 18-steps remained closed when the sanctum sanctorum was closed after the daily poojas.
Pilgrims stranded
Meanwhile, many pilgrims who reached the railway stations at Thiruvalla and Chengannur were stranded due to non-availability of transport facility to Pampa on the hartal day.
There were also reports of stone-throwing on a few vehicles carrying pilgrims at Mannarakkulanji, Pathanamthitta, Mylapra and Thulappally in the early hours today.
According to reports received here, seven pilgrims were injured in stone-throwing incidents and they were given first aid at the hospitals in Pampa, Pathanamthitta and Mannarakkulanji.
The District Superintendent of Police, Mr. K. Radhakrishnan Nair, told The Hindu that the police had rounded up a few persons who were reportedly behind the untoward incidents.
Mr. Nair said the stone-throwing had reportedly occurred in the wee hours of today and no other untoward incident has been reported from any part of the district during the dawn-to-dusk hartal.
The police have set-up additional pickets at various key points in different parts of the district as part of the security arrangements, the SP said.
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