Massive Protests In Kerala Over 'Mismanagement' At Sabarimala Temple
NDTV
The number of pilgrims visiting Sabarimala has steeply risen since December 6, leading to massive queues at the hillock temple
Massive protests have broken out in Kerala over the 'mismanagement' at the Sabarimala temple which has been witnessing an extremely high footfall of pilgrims this year. The protests came a day after an 11-year-old girl died after falling unconscious amid the trek to reach the Lord Ayyappa shrine at Sabarimala.
The number of pilgrims visiting Sabarimala has steeply risen since December 6, leading to massive queues at the hillock temple. Some of the visitors claim that they had to wait for over 18 hours. Several of them have jumped barricades leading to a stampede-like situation and chaotic scenes on the steps.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has asked officials to bring in checks to control the situation without causing inconvenience to the pilgrims. At an emergency meeting, a decision was also made to reduce the virtual queue booking limit by 10,000, setting the new maximum to 80,000 per day. The darshan timing has also been extended by an hour.
