Inflow of pilgrims at the Sabarimala Temple is yet to pick up six days after the hill shrine was opened on November 16 evening for the over two-month-long pilgrimage season amid heavy security and protests.
Tuesday witnessed moderate crowd of pilgrims, even as eight people were taken into preventive custody from the temple complex and opposition congress-led UDF leaders booked for violating prohibitory orders at the base camps.
Bharatiya Janata Party President Amit Shah on Tuesday accused the Kerala government of treating pilgrims as 'Gulag inmates', prompting Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to allege the Sangh Parivar was making the pilgrims 'scapegoats'. Mr Shah slammed the CPI(M)-led government's handling of the situation as "disappointing" and accused it of making them spend nights next to "pig droppings".
