Suresh Gopi’s Statement Recorded in Sabarimala Flag Mast Installation Probe
The vigilance department has recorded the statement of Union Minister Suresh Gopi in connection with the installation of a new flag mast at Sabarimala temple. Reports say that statements from more film personalities, including actor Mohanlal, will also be taken this week. Suresh Gopi’s statement was recorded recently.
Earlier, statements were taken from 19 people who donated gold for the project. Due to his busy schedule, Suresh Gopi could not give his statement before, and he had informed vigilance officials that he would be available after February 22.
Film director Shaji Kailas, scriptwriter Renji Panicker, and producer Suresh Kumar have already given their statements. They said they donated gold coins for the flag mast work. The gold was handed over to advocate commissioner ASP Kurup, and they also informed officials about how much gold they donated.
For reinstalling the flag mast, a total of 9,573 grams of gold was needed. Out of this, 412.010 grams were donated by 27 devotees, and all donations were collected under Kurup’s supervision.
Earlier, the Devaswom vigilance told the High Court that there were serious rule violations in accepting gold donations for installing the new flag mast (Kodimaram) in 2017. Videos had shown several people, including Suresh Gopi, Gokul Suresh, Sudheer Karamana, Renji Panicker, and Suresh Kumar, attending the function. However, the list submitted by the former advocate commissioner included only Suresh Gopi’s name.
The High Court has now given one month to complete the investigation in this case.