Thiruvananthapuram, Nov 3 (IANS): Union Minister and Malayalam film superstar Suresh Gopi was booked by Kerala Police for reckless driving and violating traffic restrictions while “misusing” an ambulance to reach the venue of Thrissur Pooram festivities in April, an official said on Sunday.

The case was filed in connection with his arrival in an ambulance at the Thrissur Pooram grounds on April 20, 2024. The complaint in matter was given by a Communist leader.

Suresh Gopi, the first BJP leader to win a Lok Sabha seat from Kerala, now faces charges under penal provisions and the Motor Vehicles Act for reckless driving and violating traffic restrictions imposed by the police. He is charged under IPC sections 279 and 34, and Motor Vehicles Act sections 179, 184, 188, and 192.

According to the FIR, the actor-turned-politician breached one-way traffic restrictions on Swaraj Ground and misused a vehicle designated for patient transport.

Speaking to the media earlier, Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas Suresh Gopi acknowledged using the ambulance to reach the Pooram venue, citing health issues.

“I struggled to walk through the crowd due to leg pain, so some young people without any political agenda helped me into the ambulance,” he said.

The second accused in the case is Abhijit Nair, a coordinator at Varahi PR agency. The ambulance driver is listed as the third accused.

Notably, Suresh Gopi had initially denied using the ambulance and even called for a CBI investigation into the matter.

BJP’s Thrissur district president, K.K. Anish Kumar, stated that Suresh Gopi had traveled in a vehicle for a short distance to reach the Pooram venue.

Suresh Gopi alleged that the controversy around the Pooram incident was intended to divert attention from the multi-crore rupee Karuvannur Service Co-operative Bank scam, which involves several CPI-M leaders, including former minister A.C. Moideen.

The Thrissur Pooram rituals in April 2024 were marred by controversy attributed to alleged police interference, with the Congress and its ally the CPI claiming that the incident was a staged effort to evoke Hindu sympathy and secure a BJP win in Thrissur.

Suresh Gopi won the Thrissur Lok Sabha seat in a triangular contest against Congress leader K. Muraleedharan and CPI leader and former minister V.S. Sunil Kumar.

The Thrissur Pooram is an annual Hindu temple festival held at the Vadakkunnathan Temple every year.