UDF Convener Faces SIT Interrogation in High-Profile Sabarimala Gold Heist Investigation
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) conducted a significant interrogation session with UDF convener and Attingal MP Adoor Prakash, lasting nearly two hours at its office in Thiruvananthapuram. This questioning is a crucial development in the ongoing probe into the high-stakes Sabarimala gold heist case, which has captured statewide attention.
Questioning Focuses on Alleged Links with Prime Accused
The SIT's interrogation centered on emerging information suggesting that Prakash maintained connections with prime accused Unnikrishnan Potti. Investigators specifically examined allegations that Prakash had met with Potti on multiple occasions and allegedly accepted gifts from him. These lines of inquiry gained momentum after a photograph surfaced showing Prakash alongside Potti meeting Congress leader Sonia Gandhi at her New Delhi residence, prompting the LDF to raise serious allegations against the UDF leader.
Prakash responded to all questions posed by investigators, including those specifically concerning his relationship with Potti. "Whether my answers were satisfactory or not is for the investigating officers to decide," Prakash stated following the interrogation. He clarified that the investigation team did not question him about financial matters during this session.
Prakash's Defense and Political Reactions
Adoor Prakash acknowledged that he had met Potti on several occasions and attended programs organized by him, but he firmly asserted that he had absolutely no connection whatsoever with the Sabarimala gold heist case. Prakash maintained that Potti was simply a resident of his constituency whom he knew as a devoted Ayyappa follower. However, the UDF convener became visibly agitated when journalists inquired about the possibility of being summoned again for further questioning.
Reacting strongly to these developments, AICC general secretary K C Venugopal characterized the questioning as politically motivated and issued a stern warning against attempts to drag the UDF into the case. "The people of Kerala know who stole the gold from Sabarimala and who are protecting them. When these facts come out, attempts are being made to escape the shame. This will not help the chief minister escape responsibility," Venugopal declared.
Venugopal further ridiculed the Chief Minister's recent claim that Potti gained access to the shrine during his tenure as devaswom minister in 2004. "I can only pity him. In the current circumstances, one can say that he has lost all senses, as he claims that Potti gained access to Sabarimala because I was the devaswom minister 22 years ago," Venugopal added with evident frustration.
Broader Investigation Context and Additional Developments
This interrogation follows the SIT's previous questioning of former devaswom minister Kadakampally Surendran in connection with the same case. The SIT was constituted following explicit directions from the Kerala High Court and is currently investigating two separate cases related to gold theft from the dwarapalaka (guardian deity) idols and doorframes of the sreekovil (sanctum sanctorum) at the revered hill shrine.
The investigation has already resulted in the arrest of twelve individuals, including two former Travancore Devaswom Board presidents associated with the CPM and chief priest Kandararu Rajeevaru. As the probe intensifies, political tensions continue to escalate, with both the ruling LDF and opposition UDF exchanging sharp accusations regarding responsibility and transparency in this sensitive matter affecting one of Kerala's most important religious sites.
