Tamil Nadu: CBI raids former IG Pon Manickavel’s residence in smuggling of murtis case 

Chennai: In a significant development, a five-member team from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) conducted a raid at the residence of former Inspector General of Police (Idol Wing) Pon Manickavel in Chennai. The raid, which took place on Saturday, August 10th, at Kottivakkam was part of an ongoing investigation into allegations that Manickavel falsely implicated retired Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Kadar Batcha in a criminal case and illegally arrested him using fabricated evidence.

The case against Manickavel has been brewing since August 8th, when the CBI registered an FIR under 13 sections, including charges of criminal intimidation and conspiracy. The raid followed a preliminary inquiry based on two petitions filed by Kadar Batcha, which alleged that Manickavel had misused his authority to frame him in false cases. These allegations stem from a 2017 FIR originally filed by the Tamil Nadu Idol Wing CID, which accused Batcha and two other policemen of stealing idols and selling them for Rs 15 lakh through a dealer named Deenadayalan.

The case took a complex turn when Batcha approached the Madras High Court, accusing Manickavel of colluding with international smugglers Subash Kapoor and Deenadayalan to help them escape prosecution. The High Court, recognizing the seriousness of the allegations, ordered the CBI to conduct a thorough investigation to uncover the truth and secure any missing idols.

Following the CBI’s visit, Pon Manickavel addressed the media outside his home, stating that the officials questioned him extensively about the idol smuggling cases. He clarified that the CBI had not yet arraigned him as an accused and that the investigation was still in its early stages. Manickavel vehemently denied Batcha’s allegations, asserting that he had been appointed by the High Court as a special officer to probe idol smuggling cases due to his integrity and expertise.

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Manickavel claimed that international and local actors involved in idol smuggling were “ganging up” against him in an attempt to derail the investigations he had initiated. He emphasized that his efforts to recover stolen idols had made him a target of false accusations by those seeking to protect their illicit operations.

The CBI’s involvement in this case was ordered by the Madras High Court after Justice G Jayachandran deemed the allegations too grave to ignore. The court noted the international ramifications of the idol theft cases and the need for an impartial investigation, given the exchange of serious accusations between two senior police officials deeply involved in the cases.

Critics argue that the involvement of the CBI in investigating Manickavel, who is widely regarded as an honest officer, raises concerns about the broader implications for the fight against idol smuggling. They point out that under the administration of the government-controlled Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR & CE) department, temples have suffered from poor maintenance and rampant theft of valuable idols, which often find their way into international art galleries.

Some believe that the allegations against Manickavel are part of a larger effort to discredit him and impede his work in recovering stolen idols. They also question the role of the central government in allowing the CBI to act on what they see as a dubious complaint, potentially undermining the efforts of a dedicated officer who has exposed the inner workings of the idol smuggling network in Tamil Nadu.