Kerala DGP dismisses reports of ‘terrorist presence’ in Guruvayur

Thrissur: DGP Ravada A Chandrasekhar on Tuesday clarified that there was no truth in the reports claiming presence of terrorists in the temple town of Guruvayur. The DGP said that the police had recently taken a native of Jammu and Kashmir into custody from Guruvayur. "Mushtaq Ahmed Pandit from Kashmir was taken into custody last Wednesday when he was seen around Guruvayur. He was found to have learning disabilities, and we contacted his family members and the police in Kashmir. Investigations revealed that he did not have any links with radical elements or any such antecedents," the DGP said. Guruvayur Temple police station SHO Vinod Valiyattoor said Pandit (45) was taken into custody when he was seen near the temple bathroom. He was admitted to the Govt Mental Health Centre, Thrissur, as directed by the magistrate at Chavakkad. The SHO said Pandit belonged to Nowgam in Srinagar, Kashmir. Pandit's family and police officers in Nowgam said that after his mental health condition deteriorated, he had been travelling to various religious places across the country where free food was being served. The SHO added that this is how he ended up in Guruvayur. No FIR was registered against him as he had not committed any crime. He had not entered the temple and had not indulged in any violent acts, the SHO said. Meanwhile, the SI of Nowgam police station accompanied by one of Pandit's cousins to Guruvayur on Wednesday to take the 45-year-old back home. Earlier, Guruvayur Devaswom Board had given a complaint to the police against reports being circulated by a section of the online media suggesting that there was terrorist presence in Guruvayur following the detention of Ahmed Pandit. The DGP said Guruvayur temple already has a tight security system.