A lorry crashed into a group of Sabarimala pilgrims near Ambur, killing two and seriously injuring two others. The pilgrims, including six children, were returning from the temple and crossing the Bengaluru-Chennai highway. The injured were hospitalized, while the bodies were sent for post-mortem. Ambur Rural Police have registered a case and are investigating the case. This is the second accident incident being reported invloving Sabrimala pilgrims. Two days, ago around 37 Ayyappa devotees were injured when an omni bus travelling from Bengaluru to Kerala crashed into the rear of a lorry near Perumanallur in Tiruppur district.
According to sources, a group of 70 persons from Bengaluru left for Sabarimala in two omni buses on Saturday night. 37 were travelling in one of the buses, driven by R Rajasekar of Bengaluru. Around 6 am on Sunday, when the bus was near New Tiruppur area near Perumanallur, Rajasekar lost control and crashed into the rear of a lorry carrying goods. Upon receiving information, Perumanallur police reached the spot and engaged in a rescue operation."Five people, including Rajasekar and a devotee, were seriously injured. Others suffered minor injuries. However, all were admitted to two different private hospitals in Tiruppur for treatment. An initial probe revealed that Rajasekar fell asleep at the wheel. Action will be taken against him after treatment," a police officer said.
Nearly two lakh devotees arrived at the Lord Ayyappa shrine at Sabarimala within 48 hours of the temple opening for the annual ‘mandala-makaravilakku’ pilgrimage season. Meanwhile, the opposition Congress and BJP criticised the state government for failing to ensure a smooth pilgrimage leading to severe crowding and challenges for the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) and the police in managing the rush. Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan alleged that the government and TDB had failed to provide even basic facilities like drinking water and had not deployed enough police personnel. He termed as “ridiculous” the government’s reported claim that preparations were affected due to the model code of conduct for local body polls, saying arrangements should have been made well in advance. He also claimed that the politically motivated Global Ayyappa Sangam had “spoiled” this year’s pilgrimage, and sought urgent intervention from the Kerala High Court, PTI reported.