Global Ayyappa Sangamam also under investigation; Devaswom Board spends 3.40 crores, says report 

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: There are indications that the Global Ayyappa Sangamam held in Pampa is also under the investigation of the special investigation team (SIT). The report submitted by the SIT to the high court in connection with the Sabarimala gold theft case has mentioned about the Global Ayyappa Sangamam. The reference is about the Sangamam convened when P S Prasanth was the president of the devaswom board. The SIT report says the decision to hold the Ayyappa Sangamam is not in the minutes of the devaswom meeting. In the context of this, the devaswom board has decided to convene a meeting on Monday.

Meantime, the report has pointed discrepancies regarding the funds for the global Ayyappa Sangamam. The board has suffered a loss of Rs 3.40 crore for organizing the Global Ayyappa Sangamam. The high court had directed that neither board’s money nor the government’s should be used for the Ayyappa Sangamam. Reports are emerging that more than Rs 3 crores were spent from the devaswom board's surplus fund because the money that was expected to be raised through sponsorship was not received.