Alappuzha, Dec 23 (IANS) Veteran Congress leader and CWC member Ramesh Chennithala on Tuesday mounted a strong attack on the Pinarayi Vijayan government and the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the disappearance of gold from Sabarimala, warning that the investigation had reached a critical stage with barely three weeks left before the SIT’s tenure expires.
Chennithala said the primary responsibility of the SIT was to trace the missing gold, a task that remains unfulfilled despite arrests being made in the case.
“In any normal criminal investigation, once the accused are arrested, the next step is the recovery of the stolen property. That has not happened here,” he said, questioning why the gold had not yet been traced.
Chennithala expressed serious doubts over claims that gold recovered from certain jewellery shops was linked to the Sabarimala case.
He said there was no clarity on whether the seized gold was indeed the missing consignment.
According to information available to him, the gold was allegedly sold in the international market as antiques, fetching more than Rs 500 crore.
He said he had submitted this information, along with full details of the source, to the SIT, following which the person concerned was summoned and questioned.
However, he said it was unclear whether the investigation was being pursued along those lines.
Citing recent observations by the Kerala High Court, Chennithala said the court itself had noted that the “big sharks” behind the crime were still at large and that there was a visible stagnation in the functioning of the SIT.
With only weeks remaining, he said the agency must urgently intensify efforts to uncover the international links behind the alleged smuggling and bring those who facilitated and protected the real culprits to justice.
The Congress leader also accused the ruling CPI(M) of shielding the accused.
He pointed out that despite the arrest of former Devaswom Board presidents, the party had not initiated any disciplinary action.
“The continued protection is driven by fear that more facts will come out if action is taken,” he alleged, targeting CPI(M) State secretary M.V. Govindan.
Linking the present case to earlier attempts to auction temple antiquities, Chennithala recalled that during his tenure as Leader of the Opposition, he had opposed moves to sell priceless artefacts from Travancore Devaswom Board temples.
He said sustained pressure had then prevented the sale of those antiquities.
Emphasising the scale of the alleged crime, Chennithala said while the domestic value of the 30.8 kg of missing gold was about Rs 50 crore, its worth in the international antique market exceeded Rs 500 crore.
He noted that even the High Court had raised questions about the possible involvement of notorious antique smugglers, including Subhash Kapoor.
Alleging administrative interference to protect the accused, Chennithala said the government must ensure a transparent probe, especially since the SIT is functioning under court supervision, and bring the truth before the public without delay.
–IANS
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