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Thiruvananthapuram, October 13 (IANS) BJP leaders on Monday met Governor Rajendra V. Arlekar and informed him about the Sabarimala gold plating scam and demanded an investigation by an outside agency.
Speaking to the media outside the Raj Bhavan, Kerala unit BJP president Rajeev Chandrasekhar said: “Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan is also the Home Minister, and the SIT probing the case includes Kerala Police officials. We have briefed the Governor about the entire matter and stressed the need for an independent investigation.”
Chandrashekhar was also accompanied by former BJP president Kummanam Rajasekharan, Union Minister V. Muraleedharan and other senior leaders from the state.
Earlier, the BJP youth wing protested for two hours outside the state secretariat demanding the resignation of state Devaswom minister VN Vasavan and the Devaswom board.
The protest drew large crowds, including young women, and water cannons were used in clashes with police and several activists were injured.
The call for an independent probe comes after the Devaswom Vigilance submitted a report to the Kerala High Court, validating the opposition’s allegations regarding the Sabarimala gold heist and the sale of Dwarapalaka plates to a billionaire.
According to the report, in 2019, gold plates from Sabarimala were sent to Chennai in violation of the Devaswom manual.
The items sent were fake moulds, while the original Dvarapalaka plates were sold with the knowledge and support of both the Devaswom Board and the political leadership.
The report further states that in 2025, the Devaswom Board ignored the instructions of the Thiruvabharanam Commissioner and handed over the keys to the person who ultimately sold the plates.
It is said that former Devaswom President A. Padmakumar, who was a CPI-M MLA at that time, and the political leadership were in collusion.
The Sabarimala temple is one of the biggest revenue earners for the Devaswom Board and the controversy comes at a time when the two-month long festival season is about to begin in the third week of November.
–IANS
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