Kerala: UDF-led Opposition demands CBI probe into "missing" gold from Sabarimala

Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], October 3 (ANI): Opposition-led United Democratic Front (UDF) in Kerala on Friday sought a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the alleged irregularities in the gold plating of Sabarimala Lord Ayappa temple in the State. The UDF convener Adoor Prakash said that the Ayyappa devotees have the right to know the culprits.
Vigilance wing of the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) is currently investigating the alleged theft of two copper-gold-leaf-covered metal plaques donated to the Sabarimala temple in 2019. There are also allegations surrounding the more than 30 kg of gold donated to the temple by industrialist Vijay Mallya in 1998. The TDB Vigilance has reported that key records related to Mallya's donations had gone missing from the Sabarimala Executive Office.
"The Sabarimala issue is not ordinary. We must find these culprits...The investigation should be transferred to the CBI. They can identify the perpetrators. The people have the right to know the truth," the senior Congress leader and UDF convenor Adoor Prakash told ANI.
The current row started after a person named Unnikrishnan Potty alleged on live television that the plaques he had gifted to the temple as an offering in 2019 were missing.
The allegation prompted the Kerala High Court to order an investigation by the Vigilance wing of the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB). Subsequently, the unit recovered the artefacts from Potty's sister's house in Thiruvananthapuram earlier this month.
On Thursday, Kerala Devaswom Minister V N Vasavan said a detailed probe was underway under the supervision of the High Court.
"The pedestal was recovered from the residence of Unnikrishnan Potty, who himself raised the complaint, which reveals who the culprit is. More facts will emerge as the investigation progresses," the minister said.
In response to opposition charges of negligence by the state government and the Travancore Devaswom Board, the minister stated that the allegations were aimed at diverting attention. "When the very item in question was found in the complainant's house, the facts became evident," Vasavan added, while confirming that Unnikrishnan Potty's influence was under scrutiny.
The probe team clarified there was no dispute over Mallya's donation but admitted that registers and supporting documents confirming the quantity of gold used were missing. Without these, the actual amount of gold plated or lost cannot be verified, raising suspicion of deliberate record tampering. (ANI)