Sabarimala midnight scare: KSRTC leaves 12 women devotees, child in dark; driver fired

Pathanamthitta: In disciplinary action following public outrage, the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) has dismissed a temporary driver for allegedly abandoning a group of female pilgrims, known as ‘Malikappurams’, along with a child at Nilakkal after their visit to Sabarimala. The conductor on duty has been transferred to another depot.

The dismissed driver, N. Sajikumar, was attached to the Poovar depot and operated services on the Pamba–Thiruvananthapuram route. The conductor, K.N. Premasuthan, has been shifted to the Kanhangad depot. The action followed the intervention of Kerala Transport Minister K. B. Ganesh Kumar, who directed that an inquiry be conducted. The KSRTC Chairman and Managing Director has been tasked with investigating the incident.

What happened?

According to reports, the group — comprising 12 female pilgrims and a child, all employees of Keltron — arrived for darshan on Tuesday morning. They parked their van at the Nilakkal parking ground and travelled by KSRTC bus to Pamba before trekking to Sabarimala.

After completing their darshan and descending the hill late at night, they boarded a KSRTC bus bound for Thiruvananthapuram. While purchasing tickets, they reportedly informed the bus staff that their vehicle was parked at Nilakkal and requested to be dropped there.

However, when the bus reached Nilakkal, it allegedly drove past the temple gopuram without entering the designated bus stand. Despite repeated requests from the devotees to stop, the bus did not halt at the proper point. The group was eventually dropped near the Forest Department outpost on the roadside, with the crew reportedly stating that the bus would not enter the Nilakkal bus stand, close to the vehicle exit point of the base camp.

It was close to midnight at the time. With the temple closed and limited lighting and police presence in the area, the pilgrims walked along the deserted road to a nearby hotel and later contacted their driver to bring their vehicle from the parking ground.

The incident prompted swift administrative action, with authorities citing concerns over passenger safety, particularly involving women and children during late-night travel. Further proceedings will depend on the findings of the ongoing inquiry.

Nilakkal is a key base camp for Sabarimala pilgrims in the Pathanamthitta district of Kerala. It serves as a primary halting point for devotees and houses facilities including the Nilakkal Mahadeva Temple, functioning as an important transit and parking hub for those travelling to the hill shrine.