Nilakkal: G H Yathish Chandra IPS continues to be in charge of the security at Nilakkal, the main base camp of Sabarimala pilgrims, till his duty there ends on November 30. The Kerala government has reassigned the cops stationed at Sabarimala temple and nearby areas that have been witnessing frenzied protests after the Supreme Court allowed women of all age groups to enter it. Intelligence IG Ashok Yadav will head the security team at Nilakkal, replacing Chandra on December 1.
The reported exercise by the state government to go for a large-scale reshuffle of police officers posted at Sabarimala has set the rumour mills working overtime. The grapevine is abuzz that the Chandra has been stripped of the responsibility before being summoned to New Delhi. There are also reports that he has tendered an apology to a High Court judge for allegedly stopping the latter’s vehicle at Nilakkal.
When asked about such rumours doing the rounds, Chandra replied in broken Malayalam: I’m still in charge of Nilakkal, aren’t I? I don’t know how such false news spread.
Chandra’s 15-day stint at Nilakkal has been eventful. He has been in the eye of a storm ever since he detained BJP state general secretary K Surendran on charges of unlawful assembly. The next day too he courted controversy for stopping Hindu Aikya Vedi leader K P Sasikala from entering the temple. He allowed her to proceeded to the shrine only after giving strict instructions to her to return immediately after ‘darshan’.
Later, when a group of UDF leaders were let off when they staged a sit-in at Nilakkal defying prohibitory orders, pro-Hindu outfits accused SP Chandra of showing ‘partiality’. All hell broke loose when the official had an altercation with Union minister of state for finance Pon Radhakrishnan on November 21 after he insisted that only the minister's vehicle could be allowed and not the entourage of cars accompanying him.
In an exclusive interview to Manorama, the 2011 batch IPS officer, who is at the centre of a raging controversy, says he has only been discharging his duties with diligence.
Excerpts:
Q: There are reports that you have been summoned by central authorities after the face-off with union minister of state Pon Radhakrishnan…
A: It’s absolutely untrue. Nobody has summoned me. If there is any complaint, I can confidently defend myself. I was only discharging the duties to the best of my ability. Action needed to be taken against me only if I’m guilty of dereliction of my duties. There was no deliberate failure in doing what I was supposed to do. Another official will replace me when my tenure as the Nilakkal special officer expires on November 30. I leave after ensuring that everything is done properly and in order. Till then I’ll be at Nilakkal.
Q: There is a common belief that when faced with difficulties, people’s faith in Lord Ayyappa fortifies. What about you?
A: I used to visit Sabarimala even during the off-season. I’m an ardent devotee of Lord Ayyappa. I have heard people talking about my religion and caste. It does not affect me and I will remain a faithful believer.
Q: There are rumours that you apologised to a High Court judge after you tried to stop him from entering Sabarimala. Some petitioners have also brought the incident to the attention of the court…
A: People can say whatever they like. One can examine the records and confirm whether the allegation is true. Moreover, the judge in question has not filed any complaint.
Q: If these are fabricated stories, why don’t you initiate legal action against those people?
If there are gossips that need to be dealt with legally, I will certainly do it. I would plainly ignore the rest.
