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Kerala Assembly Chaos: Opposition Walks Out Over Sabarimala Gold Theft

The Kerala Assembly witnessed dramatic scenes as the opposition staged a walkout over the Sabarimala gold theft scandal. Leader of Opposition VD Satheesan cited High Court observations confirming Devaswom board member involvement in the temple theft. Meanwhile, prime accused Unnikrishnan Potti has been taken into custody by the Special Investigation Team for questioning. The case exploded after missing gold panels donated by Potti were recovered from his sister's home, prompting the court-ordered probe.

Key Points: Opposition Walks Out Over Sabarimala Gold Theft Case

  • Opposition demands expulsion of entire Devaswom board over gold theft involvement
  • Prime accused Unnikrishnan Potti taken into custody for SIT interrogation
  • Missing gold panels recovered from Potti's sister's residence in Thiruvananthapuram
  • TDB president suspends Assistant Engineer K Sunil Kumar as accused in case
2 min read

Thiruvananthapuram: Opposition walks out of Kerala Assembly over Sabarimala gold theft case

VD Satheesan leads opposition walkout demanding Devaswom board resignation after High Court confirms member involvement in Sabarimala temple gold theft.

"The High Court has made it clear that a Devaswom board member definitely had a role - VD Satheesan"

Thiruvananthapuram, November 1

The members of the opposition walked out of the assembly in protest over the Sabarimala gold theft case.

Leader of Opposition, VD Satheesan, stated that the High Court has made it clear that a board member was involved in the gold theft from the Sabarimala Temple.

"The High Court has made it clear that a Devasworm board member definitely had a role in taking the sculpture of Sabrimala Aiyyappa temple to outside ...they knew very well that there was a fraud...the high court made it very clear...that's why we are asking to the expel the Devasworm board...at the same time the Devasworm board minister is also responsible, he has to resign...that is our demand,' he said.

Meanwhile, Unnikrishnan Potti, the prime accused, has reportedly been taken into custody by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) on October 17. The SIT team arrived at Potti's residence in Thiruvananthapuram early today and escorted him to a secret location in Pathanamthitta for interrogation.

It is yet to be confirmed whether his arrest has been officially recorded. The SIT is expected to question him about the stolen gold, its whereabouts, and the involvement of other suspected individuals. His arrest is likely to follow the interrogation, followed by a medical examination and court appearance in Ranni (Pathanamthitta).

The Kerala Special Investigation Team (SIT) on Saturday conducted a raid at the Bengaluru residence of Potti Unnikrishnan as part of the ongoing probe.

The case gained renewed attention after Unnikrishnan Potti, in the run-up to the TDB-sponsored Global Ayyappa Sanghamam in September, claimed that four gold-plated panels he donated in 2019 were missing. The TDB Vigilance recovered the missing panels from Potti's sister's residence in Thiruvananthapuram, leading the Kerala High Court to order a detailed SIT probe into all TDB transactions involving him.

Earlier, the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) president, P.S. Prasanth, suspended Assistant Engineer K Sunil Kumar for his alleged involvement in the Sabarimala gold theft case. Kumar has been named as an accused in the case.

- ANI

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Reader Comments

R
Rohit P
Finally some action being taken! The opposition is right to demand resignations. When temple properties are not safe in the hands of those supposed to protect them, what faith can devotees have?
S
Sarah B
While I understand the outrage, walking out of assembly might not be the most productive approach. They should stay and ensure proper debate and accountability measures are put in place.
A
Arjun K
As a regular Ayyappa devotee, this news breaks my heart 💔. The gold belongs to Lord Ayyappa, and stealing it is like stealing from God himself. Hope the SIT investigation brings all culprits to justice.
K
Karthik V
This case shows the deep-rooted corruption in temple administration. Time for complete transparency in TDB operations. Devotees' offerings should be protected, not stolen!
M
Meera T
The fact that the panels were found at the accused's sister's house shows how casually they treated temple property. Shocking! Hope this serves as a lesson for better temple management systems.

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