Sabarimala gold scam: BJP vows to continue stir until Minister Vasavan resigns

Thiruvananthapuram: BJP Kerala president Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Saturday declared that the party would continue its day-and-night protest over the Sabarimala gold scam until V Vasavan resigns as Devaswom Minister. He also demanded that the state government dissolve the Travancore Devaswom Board.

The saffron party launched the protest outside the state secretariat on Friday, with BJP leaders and workers, including Chandrasekhar, staging a sit-in on the road and raising slogans against the government.

SIT raids Potty's flat in Bengaluru
Meanwhile, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Crime Branch has intensified its probe. The team reached Karnataka and searched the apartment of key accused Unnikrishnan Potty in Bengaluru. They also raided a jewellery shop in Ballari, following Potty’s confession that he had sold the gold allegedly swindled from Sabarimala to the store’s owner, Govardhan.

According to unconfirmed reports, the SIT recovered a portion of the missing gold during the raid. Govardhan’s statement has been recorded as part of the investigation. He had reportedly funded the gold-plating work of the temple’s Sreekovil (sanctum sanctorum) door frame—an official project sponsored by Potty.

Apart from Potty’s flat, investigators also visited an Ayyappa temple in Srirampura, where the accused had earlier served as a priest. Officials said Potty will next be taken to the Smart Creation office in Chennai, where the electroplating work was carried out in 2019, PTI reported.

Earlier, the Judicial First Class Magistrate Court in Ranni granted the SIT custody of Potty till October 30. Sources said the team aims to complete evidence collection before the custody period ends.

According to the SIT, Potty had received the gold-clad plates of the Dwarapalaka idols from the TDB for electroplating in 2019. He allegedly transported them without authorisation to various temples and private residences across South India.

Potty is the prime accused in two cases related to the missing gold from the Dwarapalaka idols and the Sreekovil door frames. He was first arrested in connection with the missing gold from the idol plates. The SIT also recently arrested former Sabarimala administrative officer B Murari Babu in the same case.

The gold scam came to light after the Kerala High Court, acting on a suo motu petition, ordered an inquiry into the removal of the Dwarapalaka idols’ claddings for gold plating without prior court approval.