Tweet
Temple treasure security back in place
The Kerala Government on Wednesday issued an order posting 60 police personnel for providing security to the invaluable treasures kept in the secret chambers of the Sri Padmanabha Swamy temple in Thiruvananthapuram.
The new deployment was in the place of the 60 personnel withdrawn from duty at the temple on Tuesday following a dengue outbreak in the police camp at the shrine complex. The order issued on Wednesday said that 60 policemen had already taken charge of security at temple where treasures worth over Rs 100,000 crore were kept in six secret vaults.
The newly posted policemen would be lodged at the Armed Reserve Police camp at Nandavanam, Thiruvananthapuram instead of the camp near the temple where the hygienic conditions were pathetic. Director General of Police Venugopal Nair had on Tuesday ordered the closure of this camp following reports of the poor living conditions there.
The withdrawal of the 60 police personnel on Tuesday had created a security vacuum in the temple but authorities denied this. Temple employees were said to have been forced to stand guard in front of the vaults on Tuesday night instead of armed policemen. This was against the Supreme Court directive that round-the-clock police security had to be provided for the treasures.
On Wednesday, Thiruvananthapuram City Police Commissioner TJ Jose made on-the-spot examination of the conditions at the Armed Reserve Police camp at Nandavanam in the context of the complaints about the other camp, the closure of which followed an instruction from the Devaswom Minister to the DGP to enquire about the poor hygienic conditions.
The Kerala Government on Wednesday issued an order posting 60 police personnel for providing security to the invaluable treasures kept in the secret chambers of the Sri Padmanabha Swamy temple in Thiruvananthapuram.
The new deployment was in the place of the 60 personnel withdrawn from duty at the temple on Tuesday following a dengue outbreak in the police camp at the shrine complex. The order issued on Wednesday said that 60 policemen had already taken charge of security at temple where treasures worth over Rs 100,000 crore were kept in six secret vaults.
The newly posted policemen would be lodged at the Armed Reserve Police camp at Nandavanam, Thiruvananthapuram instead of the camp near the temple where the hygienic conditions were pathetic. Director General of Police Venugopal Nair had on Tuesday ordered the closure of this camp following reports of the poor living conditions there.
The withdrawal of the 60 police personnel on Tuesday had created a security vacuum in the temple but authorities denied this. Temple employees were said to have been forced to stand guard in front of the vaults on Tuesday night instead of armed policemen. This was against the Supreme Court directive that round-the-clock police security had to be provided for the treasures.
On Wednesday, Thiruvananthapuram City Police Commissioner TJ Jose made on-the-spot examination of the conditions at the Armed Reserve Police camp at Nandavanam in the context of the complaints about the other camp, the closure of which followed an instruction from the Devaswom Minister to the DGP to enquire about the poor hygienic conditions.
