Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple panel demands action against cops for submitting ‘false’ report

The management committee of Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple, at a meeting held here on Friday, decided to request the State government to take appropriate action against police officers who submitted a report alleging missing gold artefacts and security lapses at the temple without conducting a proper enquiry or verifying the facts.

A high-level police intelligence report submitted earlier to the Home department had pointed to suspected thefts of priceless valuables and major security breaches at the temple. According to the report, nearly 78 grams of gold bars and coins donated by devotees had recently gone missing. The report further said that a multi-tiered gold lamp, which was removed from the temple premises under the guise of maintenance, had not been returned and was instead replaced by a silver substitute without official records. It also said that the sacred ‘Vaira Nama’, an invaluable diamond ornament that was traditionally installed inside the inner sanctum sanctorum, has been missing for the last six months after being purportedly taken away for repair works.

Rejects allegations

The temple management committee said that it had conducted a detailed internal investigation and had ascertained that the so-called “missing” gold, the sacred “Vaira Nama” and the gold lamp ornaments mentioned in the police report were very much inside the sanctum sanctorum of the temple. It said that the temple executive officer, who conducted the internal enquiry, had examined all temple inventory documents and had confirmed that gold coins and other such offerings made by devotees were safe and were accounted for. The committee also said that the police report that certain individuals were entering and exiting the temple without the mandatory security checks was false and baseless.

It said that the entry into the temple via the Chempakathinmoodu gate was restricted to the temple priests and members of the erstwhile Travancore royal family. Devotees, temple staff and visitors cannot enter the temple without undergoing security checks by the Kerala Police

The committee further alleged that the police officers who prepared the report had failed to consulted either the management committee or the temple authorities. By doing so, they had tarnished the good name and credibility of the temple management committee and the administration, the committee said in a statement.