Thiruvananthapuram: Union minister of state for finance Pon Radhakrishnan on Wednesday moved a privilege motion against IPS officer Yathish Chandra G.H., now Thrissur city commissioner, for his alleged “misconduct” when the minister visited Sabarimala in November. Speaker Sumitra Mahajan said she would look into the matter.
Mr Radhakrishnan said he had gone to Sabarimala on Nov-ember 21 along with four other devotees and they were stopped 22 km away from the complex because “private vehicles were not allowed to go beyond that point and pilgrims were forced to take government buses”.
He said he enquired with the police about the reason for allowing only government buses and not private buses. There was no answer from the other police officers when Mr Yathish Chandra, on special duty at Sabarimala, told him that private buses would not be allowed “because there is landslide and also there is congestion’.
The minister maintained that the police officer asked him whether he would take the “responsibility for any untoward development...I construe this as a mark of disrespect to an elected representative of this House”, the Minister said.
The Minister, who represents Kanyakumari Lok Sabha constituency, raised the issue during Zero Hour. He said he was witness to the “pain and anguish of pilgrims, including senior citizens and children”.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had exonerated the officer saying he had not shown disrespect towards the Union Minister.
