The report stated that gold was detached from copper plates used in the Dwarapalaka (guardian deity) idols and other artefacts during the electroplating process.

In a significant political signal, the DMK shifted its annual Christmas celebrations – usually held in Chennai – to Tirunelveli in southern Tamil Nadu, a region with a substantial Christian population.

A day before announcing his new political party on Monday, the now-suspended Trinamool Congress legislator Humayun Kabir, on Sunday, gave a call to all “anti-Trinamool Congress” and “anti- Bharatiya Janata Party” (BJP) forces to get united.