: State Police Chief (SPC) Loknath Behera said here on Saturday that the ‘initial failings’ in the police investigation into the murder of a Dalit law student at Perumbavoor would be examined.
Talking to reporters on the sidelines of a traffic seminar organised by the City police on Saturday, Mr. Behera said the focus now was on investigations in the case.
He declined to comment on the affidavit filed by the government in the Central Administrative Tribunal of failure in the initial investigations.
The SPC said the ‘publication’ of the accused’s photo by the media had hampered investigations in the case. It had affected the process of the identification parade.
Identification parade
Since the accused was an outsider, identification parade was critical, especially to validate the information got from him during interrogation. But this had been severely compromised, with the publishing of his picture by the media. It would create legal hurdles in the case.
Regarding the progress in investigations, he said the information in the FIR was available to the media.
Further disclosures on the investigation would be made only after the probe is completed and the charge sheet is filed, he said.
Mr. Behera drew a parallel with professional agencies such as the Enforcement Directorate and Customs, which did not reveal any information till the investigations were completed.
He said investigations have to be conducted in a disciplined manner through careful analysis of evidence got from the accused during interrogation, and will take time. The charge sheet can be filed within 90 days of the arrest and even before if the investigation is completed.
