Kerala Police have initiated legal proceedings against Union Minister Suresh Gopi for allegedly using an ambulance to attend the Thrissur Pooram festival. This renowned annual temple festival is celebrated in Kerala.The case has been filed under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Motor Vehicle Act. On the day Gopi was transported via ambulance, there were also claims that the Thrissur Pooram festivities had been intentionally interrupted.
The opposition has claimed that the Pooram was disrupted to help Gopi, who was then the BJP's candidate for Lok Sabha elections from the Thrissur constituency.Authorities are currently probing the disruption allegations.Earlier, Gopi demanded a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on the allegations levelled against him over the misuse of an ambulance to travel to 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 was quoted as saying by news agency ANI in its report. However, he later withdrew his statement, explaining that he had to use the ambulance because his vehicle was attacked by assailants. During the attack, Gopi reported that his legs were injured.