Pathanamthitta: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) has learned that the removal of the Dwarapalaka panels from the sanctum sanctorum of the Sabarimala temple last year, allegedly to be taken away for gold plating, was carried out without informing the Devaswom Board’s engineering and maintenance wing. Based on this, indications are that a detailed investigation may follow.

The Devaswom Board of the time will have to explain why the engineering wing was not informed when such a crucial structure in front of the sanctum sanctorum was removed. Since 1998, works related to the sanctum sanctorum have involved the participation of the engineering and maintenance wing as well.

After the UBI Group completed the gold plating of the sanctum sanctorum in 1998, an engineer from the engineering wing had been entrusted with the responsibility of retrieving items including the Dwarapalaka sculptures. When the 2019 gold theft came to light and documents were seized following a High Court directive, a circular appointing the engineer in 1998 was also among the records.

In the 2019 incident involving the removal of panels from the Dwarapalaka sculptures for gold plating, an assistant engineer from the engineering wing was also named as an accused. This indicates that the engineering wing had been informed at that time as well. However, the investigation team has learned that, in those works, the engineer’s role was limited to merely signing off on the documents.

It was on the night of September 7 last year that the panels of the Dwarapalaka sculptures were removed for gold plating. It was only on September 9, when details emerged about the report submitted to the High Court by Special Commissioner R Jayakrishnan stating that the panels had been taken away without informing either the Devaswom Board or the High Court, that the matter became public. The suo motu case taken up by the High Court and its subsequent interventions are now driving the investigation forward.