ALAPPUZHA: The Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) has courted controversy by promoting an official who was named in a vigilance report on the disappearance of the gold pendant from Amabalappuzha Sreekrishna Swamy temple in April this year even as acting against three others who were named in it. A report by Ratheesh Krishnan, superintendent of police and TDB’s chief vigilance and security officer, to its president Prayar Gopalakrishnan on April 25, had held then assistant commissioner, Ambalappuzha, S. Ragunathan Nair, head priest Baburaj Namboodiri, administrative officer J. Murukesan and assistant priest Sandeep Sarma as people responsible for the missing of the ornament and recommended departmental action against them.
The Board, which kept the last three people under suspension for the last one-and-a-half months, however, chose not to act against Mr Nair. It is now learnt that he has been promoted as deputy commissioner, Haripad. The vigilance report, which DC has accessed, had pointed out specific lapses by each of the employees. It charged Mr Nair with taking no special care for the safekeeping of the ornaments and with giving a false statement to the investigation agencies. The TDB which overlooked the charges, however, placed all others, including Mr Sarma whose only lapse was his failure in reporting the incident to the administrative officer on April 13, under suspension.
Lower grade staff Rajasekharan Pillai, who was the fifth person mentioned in the report, died of stroke during investigation. The TDB president, however, said that he had no knowledge on the file regarding the vigilance report. “I can respond only after studying it,” he said. It is understood that Mr Nair had petitioned the board saying he had only 10 months left in service and that he be spared. The pendant was found on May 23 but the investigation team has not been able to nab those who were responsible for its disappearance.
