SIT starts fresh sample collection in gold loss probe at Sabarimala

The SIT probing the alleged loss of gold from artefacts at the Sabarimala temple started sample collection for scientific analysis here on Thursday, police sources said. The team, led by SP S Sasidharan, reached Pampa, the base camp of Sabarimala, in the morning and later proceeded to Sannidhanam by afternoon, officials said. Officials said the SIT, assisted by personnel from the Legal Metrology Department, the forensic laboratory, and skilled artisans, began removing the gold-plated covering from artefacts in the Sreekovil and its pillars in the evening. According to police sources, the sample collection procedure started after the Sabarimala temple opened for the monthly pooja at 5 pm on Thursday. Even though the hill shrine will close on February 17 at 10 pm, SIT is expected to complete the procedure on Friday. The Special Investigation Team decided to collect fresh samples for scientific analysis after being granted permission by the Kerala High Court on Monday. The SIT is probing two cases related to the alleged loss of gold from the Dwarapalaka (guardian deity) idol plates and the doorframes of the Sreekovil (sanctum sanctorum). The SIT had submitted before the Kerala High Court that advanced scientific analysis was indispensable to establish, with precision and objectivity, the extent of material alteration, the nature of metallurgical manipulation, and the quantum of gold originally present and subsequently depleted. It had proposed to conduct X-ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy (XRF) to determine surface elemental composition, Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) for ultra-trace impurity and elemental profiling, and Optical Emission Spectroscopy (OES) to analyse alloy composition and metallurgical uniformity. The SIT had informed the court that it had approached premier national research institutions and laboratories, including the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre in Mumbai, the National Metallurgical Laboratory in Jamshedpur, and the Defence Metallurgical Research Laboratory in Hyderabad, to undertake the specialised tests. Earlier, the SIT had collected similar samples last year for analysis at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, but such facilities were not available there. While granting permission, the Kerala High Court had observed that allegations involving the removal and substitution of precious gold cladding from the holy shrine strike at the very sanctity of the temple and cannot rest solely on testimonial assertions or documentary records, which may be susceptible to omission, manipulation or interpretative dispute. The court had said it was satisfied that advanced forensic and metallurgical examination was absolutely essential and that the results would form the bedrock of the prosecution's case. The court has directed the SIT to file a report on February 19, updating it on the samples collected from the Sabarimala temple and the agencies to which they were sent for scientific analysis.