A file image of devotees witnessing the famous 'umbrella exchange' by Thiruvambadi and Paramekkavu Devaswams in connection with the Thrissur Pooram.
Credit: PTI Photos
Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said that an inquiry report had indicated the involvement of Sangh Parivar outfits in sabotaging the Thrissur Pooram festival just ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.
The government also ordered three levels of probe into the Thrissur Pooram row, but was still delaying any action against ADGP (law and order) M R Ajithkumar despite the state police chief Sheik Darvesh Saheb citing lapses on his part with regard to the Pooram row.
Ajithkumar, who had met RSS-BJP top leaders, was also facing allegations of being part of the conspiracy to create troubles during the Thrissur Pooram with the aim of helping BJP win the Thrissur seat in the Lok Sabha election by Hindu vote polarisation in favour of actor-politician and union minister of state for tourism and petroleum Suresh Gopi.
"An inquiry report on the troubles during the Thrissur Pooram mentions about the involvement of Sangh Parivar forces in attempting to sabotage the Pooram. All these aspects would be probed in detail," Vijayan told reporters after the Cabinet meeting on Wednesday.
The Cabinet decided to order a comprehensive probe by a special team headed by Crime Branch ADGP H Venkatesh into the alleged attempts to sabotage the Pooram and another probe by ADGP intelligence Manoj Abraham into the lapses by various government's departments in the conduct of Pooram.
A third in-depth inquiry by state police chief Sheikh Darvesh Saheb into the lapses on the part of ADGP Ajithkumar was also ordered.
Justifying the delay for taking any action against the Ajithkumar, Vijayan said that even as the state police chief's report stated about lapses on the part of the ADGP, the government could take action only on the basis of detailed inquiry reports on the lapses of the officer. He evaded questions on the ADGP's meeting with RSS-BJP leaders stating that the probe into those allegations were also progressing.
The Chief Minister is delaying any sort of action against the IPS officer despite pressure from coalition partner CPI. Congress had been alleging that the IPS officer acted as a mediator between Vijayan and BJP-RSS. Hence Vijayan was taking no action against him, he said.