Thrissur: Thiruvambadi Devaswom has welcomed the State Government’s rejection of the Crime Branch’s investigation report related to the Thrissur Pooram disturbance controversy. K. Girish Kumar, Secretary of Thiruvambadi Devaswom, stated that considering the ambiguities and deficiencies in the investigation report, the government’s decision to return the report is very pleasing. He added that the new government action further strengthens the Devaswom’s consistent stand that there was a conspiracy behind the incidents affecting the conduct of Pooram.
The Devaswom has maintained since the beginning that the events associated with the Thrissur Pooram on that day were not random and that there were planned interventions behind them. The developments on the day of Pooram and the controversies that followed are well known to the public. However, Girish Kumar alleged that instead of identifying the true causes and the responsible parties, there was an initial attempt to put the Devaswoms, which led the Pooram’s arrangements, under suspicion.
Although various incidents disrupted the smooth conduct of Pooram, the investigative team was reportedly not willing to thoroughly examine the circumstances behind them, according to the Devaswom’s criticism. The investigation report was accused of adopting an approach that concealed the true nature of the incidents and distorted the facts. Girish Kumar vehemently criticized the investigation report submitted then as “one that sought to blame the innocent.”
The Thiruvambadi Devaswom Secretary also raised serious allegations against the manner in which the investigation into the Pooram disturbance was conducted. He claimed that those responsible for the incidents themselves were involved in carrying out the investigation. “The investigative system at the time was like putting the key in a thief’s hand,” he remarked.
He expressed that it was unrealistic to expect the actual facts to emerge from such an investigation and that the trustworthiness of the probe itself was in question. The complaints and concerns raised earlier by the Devaswoms concerning the Pooram disturbance should have been taken seriously, he said, but their position was not given adequate importance during the initial phase of investigation. Girish Kumar accused that there was a deliberate effort to shift the responsibility for the incidents onto the Devaswoms.
In this context, he welcomed the decision of the Home Department to return the Crime Branch’s report after reviewing the ambiguities and deficiencies within it. He emphasized the necessity to resolve the shortcomings in the investigation and bring out the true background of the incidents.
Meanwhile, the State Government has taken further action on the Thrissur Pooram disturbance controversy, citing the lack of clarity in the Crime Branch’s submitted investigation report. The Home Minister has directed the State Police Chief to resubmit a clear and comprehensive report, addressing the ambiguities identified in the original submission.
The decision to return the report was based on the view that greater clarity is needed regarding the incidents that occurred during the Pooram, the circumstances that led to them, and the various levels of intervention involved. The government’s new move has once again brought the investigation related to the Pooram disturbance into focus. There is now a growing demand to submit a more detailed report, addressing even the Devaswom’s allegations of conspiracy.
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Original Malayalam report: Malayalam Daily News
