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Thrissur, October 18 (IANS) The arrest of key accused Unnikrishnan Potti in the Sabarimala gold plating scam case has created a political storm, former BJP state president K. Surendran on Saturday alleged that the state government delayed the arrest to save the big shark.
Surendran expressed concern that the investigation would “only scratch the surface” by targeting some senior officials of the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), while those at the top of the political hierarchy would be spared.
He said, “Former Devaswom Board president A. Padmakumar and former Commissioner N. Vasu were aware of the irregularities. Nothing happens in the Devaswom Board without the knowledge of the top leadership of the Communist Party of India (Marxist). Everyone in Kerala knows how the party works.”
He claimed “systematic looting” of temple property, pointing to the recent incident of gold plating at the Sabarimala temple as evidence of deep misconduct.
Surendran commented, “The government does not even know how much gold has gone missing. How can the Devaswom Board proceed with the gold plating without the knowledge of the High Court? This is a carefully orchestrated investigation to protect powerful political figures.”
On Saturday, SIT officials reached Potti’s house on the outskirts of the capital city and searched the house as part of an exercise to collect evidence.
He further claimed that gold was looted from several major temples across the state and accused the government of misleading the High Court.
Surendran demanded that the investigation be handed over to a central agency to ensure transparency, noting that leader of the opposition VD Satheesan has also called for such a move.
The SIT investigation formed on the directions of the High Court has arrested Potti and secured his custody till October 30.
Two FIRs have been filed so far, naming 10 accused, including senior TDB officials, but no political leaders specifically.
Satheesan has repeatedly named former Devaswom minister and CPI(M) MLA Kadakampally Surendran, prompting a legal notice to be sent to Surendran demanding an apology and threatening a defamation suit of Rs 2 crore.
Both the Indian National Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party are demanding the resignation of current Devaswom minister VN Vasavan and TDB members, as well as a central inquiry into what they say is one of the most serious temple gold scams in the state.
–IANS
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