Sabarimala gold theft case: BJP holds protest in Thiruvananthapuram, demands fair probe

Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], January 20 (ANI): BJP leaders on Tuesday staged a protest march towards the residence of former Devaswom Minister Kadakampally Surendran over the Sabarimala Temple gold theft case.
Speaking to ANI, former Union Minister & senior BJP leader V Muraleedharan claimed that the Special Investigation Team (SIT) in the case conducted a private interrogation of the former Devaswom Minister.
"The interrogation was a very private affair in the case of the minister. While for others, the details were made public. That means someone is trying to hide something, and the SIT is selective," he accused.
He further said that the BJP's demands have been clear that the party is seeking justice in the case.
"Our demands have been established. The gold-plated sanctum sanctorium's parts are not original. They are not the same; they have been replaced," he stated.
Further commenting on the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) raids at 21 locations across Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana in the case, the minister said the agency is looking into the alleged money laundering aspect.
The High Court of Kerala, while considering a progress report on the alleged gold theft at Sabarimala, has ordered the Special Investigation Team (SIT) to conduct a fresh on-site inspection at Sabarimala temple on Tuesday.
The Division Bench, comprising Justice Raja Vijayaraghavan V and Justice K.V. Jayakumar, issued these directions after perusing a scientific report from the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC).
The VSSC report has confirmed a significant reduction in the quantity and purity of gold in sacred structures, including the Dwarapalaka sculptures and the Sreekovil door frames.
According to the scientific findings, there is a clear mismatch between the original gold layers imported from Switzerland and donated by the UB Group in 1998 and the low-quality gold found on the structures returned after replating in 2019.
The SIT suspects that the original gold components were removed and replaced with freshly plated copper replicas after the gold was extracted by a chemical process.
To further the investigation, the court has authorised the SIT to record detailed statements from several key officials. (ANI)