The Kerala Police has filed an FIR against Union Minister Suresh Gopi, accusing him of misusing an ambulance to reach the Thrissur Pooram venue. The Thrissur East police registered the case under IPC section 279 and sections 179, 288, and 192 of the Motor Vehicles Act.
According to the FIR, Gopi traveled in an ambulance, which is intended solely for patient transport. The case was filed following a complaint from CPI district leader Sumesh KP.
On the day the alleged disruption of Thrissur Pooram took place, Gopi was in an ambulance. The Congress-led UDF opposition claimed that the disruption was intentionally orchestrated to benefit Gopi, who was, at the time, the BJP candidate for the Thrissur Lok Sabha constituency. The controversy surrounding Thrissur Pooram has ignited political debate within the state, with the opposition accusing the police of interfering in the rituals, resulting in the disruption. The Kerala Police are currently investigating the allegations regarding the Pooram interruption.
Suresh Gopi earlier demanded a CBI probe on the allegations made against him over the use of an ambulance to reach the festival site.
"This Pooram disruption is going to be a boomerang. Unlike Surendran's (BJP state president) claim, I did not arrive at the scene in an ambulance. I arrived in a private car, the district president's personal vehicle. If someone claims they saw me in an ambulance, they need to clarify whether it was a real sight or an illusion. To find the truth, Kerala's police under Pinarayi will not suffice; a CBI investigation is necessary. I am prepared to face it. They should call in the CBI. Many, including former and current ministers in Kerala, fear being questioned," Gopi had said.
However, he retracted this statement later, saying that he had to travel in the ambulance after his car was attacked by goons, getting his legs injured. (ANI)
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