Union minister booked in Kerala for 'misusing' ambulance

THRISSUR: A case was regsitered against Union minister Suresh Gopi and two others for “misusing” an ambulance during Thrissur Pooram festivities in April this year, police said on Sunday.

Thrissur East Police on Sunday registered an FIR against Union minister of state for petroleum, natural gas and tourism, Abhijith Nair and an ambulance driver in this regard.

Sections 279 and 34 of IPC and sections 179, 184, 188 and 192 of Motor Vehicles Act were imposed against them, police said. The case was registered following a complaint filed by K P Sumesh, a local CPI functionary.

According to the FIR, Gopi, who was the then BJP candidate in Thrissur Lok Sabha constituency, and the other accused acted as part of the election campaign strategy and travelled in an ambulance owned by Seva Bharati, which was allowed to take only patients, to hold talks with the Thiruvambadi Devaswom authorities violating the police restrictions.

Suresh Gopi on Thursday refuted the allegations that he reached the festival site in an ambulance and claimed that he reached close to the festival site in his car, which was then attacked by some ‘goondas’ of the rival political parties.

The MoS claimed that he was rescued from there by some youngsters who put him in an ambulance which was there at the festival site to cater to those in distress