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.
