Thrissur: Right to Information (RTI) documents have revealed that no investigation was conducted into the disruption of Thrissur Pooram in April, despite a government announcement of a probe. A response from police headquarters confirmed that no steps were taken to initiate the investigation. Thrissur City Police also told Manorama News that no inquiry had been carried out, fuelling suspicions that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, the CPM, and alliance partners like CPI misled the public by claiming an investigation was underway.
The Chief Minister initially defused the controversy by announcing an inquiry after a major disruption to the famed festival just before the Lok Sabha elections. A press release from the Chief Minister's Office on April 21 stated that the Thrissur Commissioner would be transferred, and the state police chief would investigate complaints against police actions, with a report due within a week. Since then, CPI leaders have been demanding the release of the investigation report.
The inquiry was assigned to ADGP MR Ajith Kumar. However, reports of his meeting with RSS members have intensified questions about the investigation's status, prompting further RTI queries.
The RTI application filed with police headquarters posed two questions: Was there an investigation into the Pooram disruption, and if so, could a copy of the report be provided? The response stated: "No such investigation details are available at this office. For accurate information, the query has been forwarded to Thrissur City Police." In essence, police headquarters was unaware of the investigation purportedly assigned to the DGP by the Chief Minister.
Thrissur Police also responded, confirming that no investigation into the Pooram disruption had been conducted, nor had any report been submitted. As a result, no shortcomings on the part of the police were identified. In summary, no one has confirmed the existence of an investigation, contrary to what was stated in the Chief Minister's press release.
Unprecedented restrictions imposed by the police during the conduct of Thrissur Pooram in April sparked a controversy, and it ballooned into a political row during the campaign phase of the Lok Sabha elections.