CPI state secy calls Sabarimala gold loss accused ‘ideal Communist’

Communist Party of India (CPI) state secretary Binoy Viswam on Friday described former Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) member K P Sankara Das, who has been arrested in the Sabarimala gold loss cases, as an “ideal Communist” who would not knowingly commit any wrongdoing.
Commenting on the arrest, Viswam said that everyone in the party believes Sankara Das would not do anything wrong deliberately. “He is an ideal Communist. But we do not know if any inadvertent mistake was made by him. So, let the investigation go on,” he said.At the same time, the CPI leader made it clear that the party and the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) would not shield anyone found guilty. He said that if the investigation establishes wrongdoing, no protection would be extended by the CPI or the LDF.
Sankara Das was arrested on Wednesday from a private hospital in Thiruvananthapuram in connection with two cases related to the loss of gold from the Dwarapalaka (guardian deity) idols and the Sreekovil (sanctum sanctorum) door frames at the Sabarimala temple. The cases are being probed by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted following directions from the Kerala High Court.He continues to remain hospitalised. So far, the SIT has arrested 12 people in connection with the case, including two former presidents of the Travancore Devaswom Board.