As tension eases, police allow devotees to climb the hillock at Thirupparankundram

As the tension over the Thirupparankundram deepathoon issue eased, the Madurai City Police on Monday allowed devotees to climb the hillock to offer prayers at the Kasiviswanthar temple and the Sikkander Dargah.

The pathway to the hilltop was out of bounds for devotees ever since tensions broke out over lighting Karthigai Deepam at a deepathoon as directed by Justice G.R. Swaminathan of the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on December 3.

With the cadre of the BJP and Hindu Munnani staging a protest, the Madurai City Police imposed a prohibitory order the next day to prevent any untoward incident as the dargah was located close to the deepathoon, which the State government described as a “survey stone pillar”.

Though the prohibitory order was quashed by the High Court, the police continued to deny permission to climb the hillock. Even late on Sunday, the police allowed only a handful of representatives of the dargah committee to carry a flag mast up the hilltop for hoisting to mark the commencement of the Santhanakoodu festival, scheduled on January 6. The police also prevented a section of the BJP and the Hindu Munnani cadre, who wanted to light the deepam as the dargah committee was allowed to hoist the flag.

On Monday, the police allowed devotees to go to both the temple and dargah after noting their names and other relevant details. However, police personnel have been posted at the hilltop to prevent devotees from going near the deepathoon.