Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], October 8 : Travancore Devaswom Board President PS Prashanth informed on Wednesday that the board's vigilance wing will submit its report on the investigation into the alleged theft of gold offerings made to the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple on October 10. He added that the Board will take appropriate action based on the report.
"The Devaswom Vigilance SP will submit the report on the 10th of this month. We have all the records with us. I have no interest in getting into any controversy. Some media outlets are attempting to portray that the new board has ties to Unnikrishnan Potti, but that is completely untrue," Prashanth told ANI.
Unnikrishnan Potti, a priest who occasionally worked at the Sabarimala temple, is at the centre of the investigation in the gold-theft row.
"It is true that there was gold in the Dwarapalaka sculpture panel. If I have any role in it, I should also be punished -- that is my stand," he added.
He said that the TDB will examine what action can be taken against the retired officials if they are implicated in the probe.
The Thanthri (chief priest) should not be dragged into this controversy. The Board is confident. All documents are in our possession. Some media are trying to establish a connection between Potti and the present Board, but there is none," he said.
"Yes, gold was indeed present in the sculpture -- that's a fact. The SP's report will only deal with the involvement of officials; it does not mention anything about the Devaswom Board. Let the comprehensive report come, and we will act accordingly. It was the Board itself that requested the court to conduct an inquiry.
"The opposition should cooperate to ensure that the Mandala season proceeds smoothly. I have nothing to comment on former Devaswom Minister Kadakampally Surendran's silence on this matter," he added.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Wednesday that the Kerala Government will not allow anyone responsible for the Sabarimala gold plating controversy to escape, will not protect any wrongdoers and take action without favour.
"In the Sabarimala gold plating controversy, the government announced an investigation right from the beginning. We will never protect any wrongdoers. The government's stance is to take action without favour, regardless of who is at fault. A special investigation team was appointed in this matter," CM Vijayan said.
The Kerala CM underlined that the government has been investigating the matter from the beginning, and following the High Court order, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) has also been appointed for the case, under the supervision of the Additional Director General of Police (ADGP).