Thiruvambady demands new Pooram probe

Thiruvambady Devaswom has demanded a fresh investigation into the disruption of the 2024 Thrissur Pooram, rejecting Crime Branch findings that implicate its office-bearers in the controversy surrounding the festival.

Devaswom secretary K Gireesh Kumar said the investigation had effectively transformed those who complained about the disruption into accused persons. He disputed the conclusions after the Crime Branch report reached the Keralam government for approval to proceed with a chargesheet.

The report identifies eight people, including Devaswom office-bearers, as accused. Investigators have proposed allegations involving attempts to provoke a riot, incitement against the government and promoting hostility between groups. Those allegations remain untested in court, and government sanction is being sought for prosecution under the applicable provisions.

Gireesh Kumar said the temple administration had not been formally informed of the report’s contents and had learnt about the findings through public accounts. He rejected the suggestion that people responsible for organising the annual festival would deliberately undermine it.

He said the Devaswom was prepared to acknowledge and correct any specific shortcomings established through a fair examination. But he maintained that the organisation would never seek to diminish the festival’s scale or reputation, and challenged the suggestion that its representatives had collectively engineered the disruption.

The Devaswom intends to approach Chief Minister V D Satheesan, Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala and Devaswom Minister K Muraleedharan to explain its objections. Gireesh Kumar said the organisation would support an impartial inquiry and consider further legal steps after discussing the matter with the government.

The demand places the administration’s account directly against the conclusions attributed to the Crime Branch team. Investigators are understood to have blamed failures by Thiruvambady organisers to follow arrangements agreed at review meetings chaired by the district collector and police commissioner. The report also identifies unilateral decisions by the Devaswom as a source of confusion and disputes during the festival.

Those findings are contested by the Devaswom, which argues that police conduct during the celebrations has not been adequately examined. Gireesh Kumar questioned the credibility of an investigation that absolved police personnel of responsibility for the disruption. His criticism reflects the continuing disagreement over whether the disturbances arose from administrative decisions, policing measures or deliberate interference.

The report was prepared by a special investigation team headed by Deputy Inspector General Thomson Jose and submitted to Crime Branch chief H Venkitesh earlier this year. State police chief Ravada A Chandrasekhar subsequently forwarded it to the Home Department for the government’s consideration.

The inquiry’s conclusions also draw attention because they do not assign responsibility to former Additional Director General of Police M R Ajith Kumar, whose conduct had previously become a subject of political controversy. Allegations that he had played a part in disrupting the Pooram, including claims concerning links with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, were raised by political figures but have not been established by a court.

Devaswom Minister Muraleedharan said on Thursday that attempts to shield Ajith Kumar would not succeed. His remarks indicated that questions surrounding the former senior police officer remain politically contentious despite the conclusions attributed to the Crime Branch investigation.

The disagreement also raises questions about the evidence used to distinguish organisational lapses from deliberate disruption. The Devaswom’s objections concern both the identification of suspects and the assessment of police responsibility. The government’s examination of the prosecution request will therefore take place amid competing interpretations of the events and their causes.

The earlier government led by Pinarayi Vijayan ordered the criminal investigation in October 2024 after the disruption prompted competing accusations about responsibility. An earlier examination by former state police chief Darvesh Saheb had identified shortcomings in the discharge of official duties, although that assessment did not lead to further action at the time.

The special investigation team’s findings were submitted to the Crime Branch leadership in February, but their onward transmission was delayed for months. The report has now reached the government, where the request for prosecution sanction is awaiting consideration. No court has determined the guilt of those identified by investigators.

Thrissur Pooram is organised around the participation of the Thiruvambady and Paramekkavu temple groups. Disputes during the 2024 celebrations affected scheduled proceedings and generated complaints about restrictions and the handling of arrangements by the authorities.