Thiruvananthapuram:  Thiruvambady Devaswom joint secretary P Sasidharan has revealed that RSS leader Valsan Thillankeri and BJP state vice-president B Gopalakrishnan contacted the Devaswom officials on the day of festival disruption. His statement was recorded in the report submitted by ADGP Ajith Kumar on the Thrissur Pooram fiasco. 

Sasidharan said he noticed Thillankeri's unexpected presence at the festival. Sasidharan, who was also the convenor of the Pooram fireworks display, said Suresh Gopi had participated in the Devaswom Committee meeting convened to reconsider the decision to abandon the fireworks display.

The report also contains ambulance driver Prakasan's statement that he had taken Suresh Gopi to the venue of Thiruvambady Devaswom's meeting based on instructions from a person wearing a Devaswom tag.

Thiruvambady Devaswom president Sundar Menon told the police that the illumination in the pandals (canopy) at Naduvilal and Naikkanal was switched off, and the madathil varavu procession was confined to a single elephant in protest against the action of the police blocking the people who were accompanying the procession.

According to Sasidharan, Suresh Gopi contacted Devaswom Secretary Girish Kumar over the phone when the discussions were taking place at the Devaswom office. Sasidharan also said that within 10 minutes of the phone call, Gopi, Thillankeri, and Gopalakrishnan reached the office. The meeting was convened based on a directive from the District Collector. 

At the same time, G Rajesh, the secretary of Paramekkavu Devaswom, said in his statement that Thiruvambady Devaswom Secretary Girish Kumar requested him to stop the festival because the police had placed barricades preventing the conduct of the rituals. However, Paramekkavu carried out the procession and melam (percussion ensemble) smoothly.

Allegations against police
In their statements, Thiruvambady Devaswom authorities alleged that the police violated the agreement reached at a meeting convened by Revenue Minister K Rajan to clear the pooram ground of the public only after the procession arrived at the pandal. The police blocking people much earlier led to the trouble, they said.

The procession's path to Brahmaswam Madham was blocked at Swaraj Round by an ambulance, water tank, and police barricade. As a result, the procession was delayed. The police blocked even committee members when the Madathil Varavu entered the Vadakkumnathan Temple during the daytime. The special parasols brought for kudamattam were blocked by the DySP at padinjare nada (Western Gate of the temple).

The Police Commissioner again blocked the parasols even after the tuskers had lined up for kudamattam. The commissioner verbally abused the mahout when the patta (palm leaves) for elephants were brought through the thekke nada (South Gate).

LDF candidate's reaction
VS Sunil Kumar, the LDF candidate from Thrissur in the Lok Sabha elections, said that the Thiruvambady Devaswom had not decided to call off the Pooram midway. "There was such a move from certain individuals. When the ezhunnallippu (procession) came to a stop, Sangh Parivar activists took out a procession along the Padinjare Nada to the Vadakkumnathan Temple, shouting slogans against the Left Front. A conspiracy by the RSS and BJP is evident in the matter. It is unfair to blame the Thiruvambady Devaswom for the fiasco," he said.