The Crime Branch investigation into the tampering of the 2024 Thrissur Pooram has sparked a fresh controversy with a report purportedly exonerating the police while blaming the riots on the Thiruvambadi Devaswom.
The report of the probe, ordered by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in October 2024, was submitted on Friday (13 February 2026), after 16 months. Its findings have drawn criticism from various quarters, amid accusations that the report seeks to exonerate the police of wrongdoing while blaming Devaswom for not following through on decisions taken at review meetings chaired by the district collector and the city police commissioner.
“The Collector’s Role”
Former minister and Communist Party of India (CPI) leader VS Sunil Kumar questioned the role of the then district collector VR Krishna Theja in the episode. He said it was unlikely that any Devaswom would act deliberately to disturb the Pooram. “Some individuals in the Devaswom may have political interests, but it is unfair to hold the institution as a whole responsible,” he said.
Alleging a political conspiracy behind the disruption, he called for a thorough investigation into the former Collector’s role in the incident. “The Collector reportedly asked the Minister and MLAs not to visit the venue. Despite being invited to meet Thiruvambadi, the Collector did not attend. There are reasons to suspect that there was an intention to disturb the Pooram,” he said.
Mr. Sunil Kumar also described it as “suspicious” that the Collector went on deputation after the elections and alleged that the political beneficiaries of the interruption were the BJP and the RSS. He added that the attitude of the then city police commissioner made the situation worse.
DCC attitude
Meanwhile, Thrissur District Congress Committee (DCC) President Joseph Tajet said that the devotees and residents of Thrissur rejected the Crime Branch report submitted to ADGP H. Venkatesh in Thiruvananthapuram.
Mr. Tajet further alleged that inexperienced officials were deputed for the Pooram, leading to preventable incidents.
“The government has set the stage for the Pooram disruption by appointing ADGP Ajith Kumar,” he claimed. He also claimed that with the upcoming Pooram and Assembly elections, the CPI(M) is once again politicizing the festival, providing an opportunity for the BJP to gain an electoral advantage.
“Even after a long, multi-layered investigation spanning more than a year and a half, the authorities have failed to identify the persons who are actually responsible for the breach. This shows serious misconduct on the part of the home ministry,” he said, questioning why no action was taken despite the then DGP’s report which allegedly reported misconduct on the part of senior officers.
BJP’s response
BJP State Vice President B. Gopalakrishnan demanded that the findings against Thiruvambadi Devaswom be withdrawn. “It is condemnable that the report has effectively made the complainant an accused. If the allegation is that Pooram was temporarily stopped, the circumstances that led to such a situation must be investigated,” he said.
He further claimed that the report reflected an anti-temple stance on the part of the state government and questioned why temple committees were selectively targeted.
Published – 14 Feb 2026 21:15 IST