Sathram, a key base station along the forest route to Sabarimala, witnessed high drama on Saturday with a group of irate pilgrims staging a violent protest. The incident occurred around 7 a.m. when the devotees, who had been waiting in queue for hours, questioned a delay by the police in issuing passes for entering the trekking path. The pilgrims soon resorted to sloganeering and the protest hit a crescendo around 9 a.m. with the devotees attacking a temporary check-post erected at the location.
Blanket permission
Unable to control the mob, the police granted a blanket permission to all pilgrims to enter the forest path. It took a couple of hours for the situation to be brought under control and the crowd to disperse.
Incidentally, Saturday reported the highest pilgrim traffic on the forest path for the season. As per official estimate, 5,267 devotees entered the path during the day. So far this season, 37,202 devotees have used this traditional route.
