(Image source from: Tribune India)

Latent hostility prevailed on Wednesday morning in Kerala's Nilackal, the chief gateway to Sabarimala, after the police used force to scatter devotees opposing the entry of girls and women of menstrual age into the place of worship.

The police, deployed in sizable numbers in Nilackal, some 20 km away from the Sabarimala hilltop, as well removed a makeshift shelter erected by a protesting group Sabarimala Achara Samrakshana Samiti.

The protesting group of devotees had been staging a sit-in chanting Ayyappa mantra in the shed in protest against the Supreme Court order permitting women of all age groups to enter the place of worship.

The protesting people, who were less in numbers, ran from the place when police initiated action in the early hours of Wednesday when they tried to block the buses from the significant entry point to the temple.

Hours ahead of opening of the hill shrine for the monthly prayer, the police said they would not allow anyone to block the movement of the people.

Taking the full control of Nilackal, the police as well warned against those who create hurdles in the ways of pilgrims to the hill shrine.

On Monday night, a couple from Tamil Nadu, aged 45 and 40, on their way to Pamba, were forced to get down from the KSRTC (Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation) bus allegedly by few activists of the Sabarimala Achara Samrakshana Samiti.

Although the couple had said that they would go only up to Pamba and not climb Sabarimala, the activists prevented them.

Some activists of the Sabarimala Achara Samrakshana Samiti, who had stayed back at Nilackal, as well allegedly prevented the media people from carrying out their duty.

Around 500 police personnel, including women, have been deployed in Nilackal to guarantee a safe passage to the pilgrims to the Lord Ayyappa temple.

In the meantime, another group of devotees said they would stage a Gandhian style peaceful protest in Pamba.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said no one would be allowed to block devotees from proceeding to Sabarimala.

Groups of women devotees, plus senior citizens, clothed in traditional sarees, had stopped each and every transport at Nilackal on Tuesday.

Besides private vehicles, devotees even stopped and inspected KSRTC buses and asked young women to get out of them on Tuesday.

Protesting women had said no women belonging to the banned age group of 10-50 will be allowed to travel further from Nilackal and offer worship at the place of worship.

The temple would be closed on October 22 after the five-day monthly prayer during the Malayalam month of Thulam.

By Sowmya Sangam