Sabarimala gold loss case: Tantri's statement recorded by SIT
Pathanamthitta (Kerala) (PTI): The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the gold loss from the Sabarimala Lord Ayyappa temple has recorded the statement of Tantri Mahesh Mohanararu, officials said on Sunday.
Police sources said Mohanararu' statement was recorded a few weeks ago as part of the probe into the permission allegedly granted to prime accused Unnikrishnan Potty to take gold-clad plates of the Dwarapalaka idols and the door frames of the Sreekovil in 2019.
Mohanararu is currently serving as the Tantri (chief priest) at Sabarimala. He was employed in the temple in 2019.
According to SIT sources, the deity's properties can be removed from the temple premises only after obtaining Deva Anujna (divine permission).
Similarly, the Travancore Devaswom Board has to seek the Tantri's permission whenever any repair works are to be carried out at the hill shrine.
The Tantri was questioned about these procedures regarding the removal of the gold-clad plates and their transportation outside the temple by Potty, an official said.
The SIT also examined Potty's frequent visits to the temple posing as a sponsor and his alleged links with the Tantri.
Additionally, the team sought clarification on Mohanararu's visit to Ballari-based gold trader Govardhan, a close associate of Potty, the source said.
Earlier, the SIT had questioned other Tantris--Kandararu Mohanararu and Kandararu Rajeevararu.
So far, six people, including two former TDB presidents, have been arrested in two cases related to the loss of gold from the Dwarapalaka plates and the Sreekovil door frames.
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SWR announces special trains for passengers stranded by large-scale IndiGo cancellations
Bengaluru (PTI): The South Western Railway on Saturday announced a series of special trains, in coordination with Central, South Eastern and Southern Railways, to clear stranded passengers following large-scale IndiGo flight cancellations across the country.
The special services will operate between December 6 and 10 on high-demand routes, including Bengaluru–Chennai, Bengaluru–Pune, Yesvantpur–Hazrat Nizamuddin, Shalimar–Yelahanka and Ernakulam–Yelahanka, officials said.
According to an official statement, SWR will run Train No. 06255/06256 between Chennai Egmore and KSR Bengaluru, 06257/06258 between Bengaluru and MGR Chennai Central, 06259/06260 between Yesvantpur and Hazrat Nizamuddin, and 06263/06264 between Bengaluru and Pune.
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Central Railway will operate Train No. 01413/01414 between Pune and Bengaluru, while South Eastern Railway will run Train No. 08073/08074 between Shalimar and Yelahanka. Southern Railway will operate Train No. 06147/06148 between Ernakulam and Yelahanka, the statement said.
Railways has advised passengers to check updated timings on its official channels and arrive early at stations.
For at least five days in a row, IndiGo flight operations have been significantly disrupted, with a large number of cancellations and delays causing hardships to thousands of passengers. In many cases, baggage has been misplaced.
