Pampa: Even though the Supreme Court had made it clear that there was no stay on its September verdict allowing all women at Sabarimala, female cops deployed in Pampa and Nilakkal check the age of woman pilgrims.
On Saturday morning, a 54-year-old woman carrying irumudikettu (two cloth bags with sacred offerings) on her head was asked to show ID proof when she was about to enter the metal detector at Pampa.
The woman, who did not reveal her name, obliged. The cop ensured she was above 50. The officer was repeating the procedure the protesters followed during Thulamaasa puja and Chithira Attavishesham days.
In another incident at Nilakkal on Friday, DC stumbled upon a woman cop checking the ID of a pilgrim from Andhra Pradesh inside a KSRTC bus before allowing her to travel to Pampa.
When DC asked about the check, she refused to respond due to fear. In another event, a woman cop took a kid from Tamil Nadu, who was about to trek to Sannidhanam with a small group, to guardroom at Pampa.
She was let off after a few minutes. Her father said they were checking verifying her age. "Our kid is below ten. We had shown all the details police had asked. They checked and allowed to go," he told DC.
Police officials say they were ensuring the safety of the pilgrims. "We are answerable if anybody attacks them," a cop says. A 49-year-old woman from Tamil Nadu had reached Pampa in a group on Friday evening.
She chose to remain there after police convinced her about the situation. The checking, which was absent during either Thulamaasa puja or Chithira Attavishesham, is happening when the government suggested to the High Court two-day exclusive darshan for women.
The government response came when four young women sought police protection for Sabarimala darshan. Meanwhile, the flow of devotees has gained momentum.
