Bouncers on duty at Sree Poornathrayesa temple festival; HC expresses displeasure

KOCHI: The High Court showed its discontent over the appointment of bouncers to control the crowd during the Vrishchikolsavam days at the Tripunithura Sree Poornathrayesa Temple. The court said such a situation should have been avoided and asked the authorities not to repeat it.

The bouncers were appointed from November 22 to 25. The Devaswom bench, comprising Justices V. Raja Vijayaraghavan and K.V. Jayakumar, stated that the people wearing a T-shirt with the emblem "Bouncer" were inappropriate for the temple atmosphere. The court even directed the Cochin Devaswom Board to refrain from such matters.

The Devaswom Board also admitted that it was unfortunate that the authorities chose to appoint bouncers to control the crowd. They were brought by a contracted private security agency. Ex-servicemen are usually assigned to control the crowd. There was a mass resignation in the temple advisory committee 10 days before this year's festival. The Devaswom Standing Counsel promised the court that they will refrain from making such decisions again.

Maradu native N. Prakash approached the court, stating that the appointment of bouncers was akin to desecrating the sanctity and culture of the temple. The court, which recorded the assurance of the Devaswom Board, disposed of the petition. Bouncers are those who provide private protection to prominent people, including film stars and industrialists.