Thiruvananthapuram: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) delegation led by the party’s Kerala President, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, met President Droupadi Murmu at Raj Bhavan in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday and apprised her of public concerns over various issues, including the Sabarimala gold theft incident, according to a release issued by the party.

The delegation included former Governor and BJP National Executive Committee member Kummanam Rajasekharan, former Union Minister V Muraleedharan, former State President K Surendran, State General Secretary Adv. S Suresh, and former DGP and BJP State Vice President R Sreelekha.

During the meeting, the delegation also presented a replica of the Anantha Padmanabhaswamy Temple to the President.

Earlier, on October 17, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) appointed by the Kerala High Court arrested Unnikrishnan Potti, the prime accused in the Sabarimala gold theft case. The arrest relates to the theft of gold plating from the sanctum’s wooden panels and the Dwarapalaka (door guardian) sculptures at the Sabarimala temple. Potti has been remanded in police custody until October 30.

Meanwhile, Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) President PS Prasanth suspended Assistant Engineer K Sunil Kumar for his alleged role in the case. Kumar has been named as one of the accused. Prasanth added that retired officers involved in the gold-plating controversy would be issued show-cause notices and given ten days to respond.

In other developments, Prasad ED has been selected as the new Melsanthi (chief priest) of the Sabarimala Temple, while Manu Namboothiri MG has been chosen as the Melsanthi of Malikappuram Temple, according to a release from the TDB.

The selection was carried out through the traditional draw of lots (narukkueduppu) conducted after the Usha Pooja at the Sannidhanam on the first day of the Malayalam month of Thulam.

The newly appointed Sabarimala Melsanthi, Prasad ED, hails from Vasupuram, Mattathurkunnu, Chalakudy in Thrissur district. The new Malikappuram Melsanthi, Manu Namboothiri MG, is a native of Ayiratheng, Kottikkada, Mayyanad in Kollam district.

The draw of lots was held under the supervision of TDB President Adv PS Prasanth, Sabarimala Special Commissioner R Jayakrishnan, High Court Observer TR Ramachandran Nair, and Devaswom Commissioner B. Sunilkumar.

In the ceremonial process, a young boy, Kashyap Varma, drew the lot for the Sabarimala Melsanthi, while a young girl, Maithili R Varma, drew the lot for the Malikappuram Melsanthi.

ANI inputs