In mounting dissent against Pon Manickavel, more officers of the agency have come forward to register their complaints against the Idol Wing Special Officer. A group of 23 officers of the Idol Wing met the Director General of Police, Tamil Nadu, in a third such meeting and asked the DGP to take action against Pon Manickavel for forcing them to foist cases and curtailing their freedom to investigate.
Led by ADSP Elango, the group also brought along one Sakthivel, who they claimed was falsely accused by Pon Manickavel in a case of idol theft. Speaking to media persons outside the DGP’s office, ADSP Elango said that Pon Manickavel had staged an idol theft in August. The officer was referring to the recovery of a five-metal Amman idol from Tiruvallur in August this year. Four persons (including Sakthivel), suspected of stealing the idol and planning to sell it, were arrested in connection with the case.
ADSP Elango said, “On July 21, 2017, the Madras High Court created a High Court investigation team, under Pon Manickavel. I am second in command in that team. There 4 ADSPs, 5 DSPs, 17 inspectors and 41 Sub Inspectors, a total of 67 officers in the team. We have already complained twice to the DGP. Around 23 of us have come now. A lot of problems were created, telling us whom to arrest, how to arrest, and how to investigate. We have already given complaint stating that there are irregularities in the investigations.”
“A case was filed that a Rs 50 lakh worth statue was found and an accused arrested. The case FIR was registered by Idol Wing CID Inspector Muthukumar. One Inspector Ravi also investigated. Our Inspector Madhanalogam was also investigated in the case,” he said.
When the four accused were being arrested, ADSP Elango said that it came to light that the idol was actually one that had been used for prayer at one Deenadayalan’s house.
"It was a statue kept at home for prayer. He has asked them (the accused) to buy the idol saying he would give a good price. He has arrested and remanded them saying they came to sell idols. He has bought the statue at a local temple for Rs 7,000," Elango claimed.
Pointing to Deenadayalan, ADSP Elango said that the statues were kept at his house.
Speaking to media persons, Deenadayalan confirmed this, stating, “It is an Ashtalakshmi statue. Elders in the house said that the idol was not right for us, so I went to throw the idol at the waste mart. At that mart, a few boys from our area told me not to throw it away. So I told them to take it but I warned them that they would face difficult times ahead. They took it two years ago. Then one day, we saw in the paper that the top officer (Pon Manickavel) had arrested people for this. There is no truth to this. It was an idol we kept at home and prayed to. It would only fetch Rs 7,000 to Rs 10,000. It is a pure brass statue. A moulder from Nerkundam sold it to me.”
He also called for a CBI investigation into the matter. Sakthivel, who was reportedly one of the men who took the idol from the waste mart, convinced Deenadayalan not to throw the idol away and said, “Mani, a police informer, foisted a case on me. He asked me to bring the idol to the street from my house. The chasing and everything was staged.”