A case was registered against Union Minister Suresh Gopi on November 3, 2024, for allegedly using an ambulance to access the Thrissur Pooram venue on April 20. The actor-politician faces charges under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Motor Vehicles Act, including reckless driving, ignoring traffic restrictions, and misusing a vehicle intended for patient transport. The complaint was filed by CPI Thrissur constituency secretary Advocate Sumesh, who alleged that Gopi improperly used the ambulance, a violation that could lead to a prison sentence of up to six months.
Sumesh’s complaint accuses Gopi, then a BJP candidate in the Lok Sabha election, of unlawfully using an ambulance for his campaign following riots at the Thrissur Pooram festival. Video footage surfaced showing Gopi arriving at the Thiruvambadi Devaswom office in an ambulance, allegedly to circumvent traffic restrictions. The complaint asserts that Gopi’s use of the ambulance, typically reserved for patient transport, was an abuse of resources for personal and political convenience.
In response, Gopi acknowledged using the ambulance to reach the venue, citing health concerns due to leg pain that made it challenging to walk through the crowded area. He explained that a few young people, with no political intent, assisted him into the ambulance. Initially, Gopi denied the allegations and even requested a CBI probe, but BJP district president KK Aneesh Kumar later clarified that Gopi had arrived in the city by car and only used the ambulance briefly to reach the festival grounds. This incident occurred amid heightened police involvement in Thrissur Pooram, which included a rare rescheduling of the fireworks display to the next day in daylight, disappointing festival attendees.
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