No CBI probe, Rema to continue fast

SIT to probe ‘conspiracy’ angle in RMP leader murder case

RMP leader N. Venu announcing the decision of K.K. Rema to continue her indefinite fast in front of the Secretariat on Wednesday night. Photo: S. Gopakumar

With no immediate possibility of the Kerala government referring her complaint for a CBI probe into the ‘conspiracy’ angle of the T.P. Chandrasekharan murder case to the country’s premier investigating agency, the slain Revolutionary Marxist Party (RMP) leader’s wife K.K. Rema has decided to continue her three-day old fast in front of the Secretariat here.

Ms. Rema and the RMP leadership took the decision to go ahead with the fast late on Wednesday night as, according to them, there was no firm assurance from the government during their talks earlier in the evening on ordering a CBI inquiry as sought by Ms. Rema in her complaint filed at the Edachery police station in Kozhikode.

The RMP leaders termed the government’s invitation for talks a positive gesture, but said they had no option but to politely reject its appeal for withdrawal of Ms. Rema’s fast as there was no firm assurance on a CBI probe.

During the talks spread over two rounds, Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala told the RMP leadership, represented by party secretary N. Venu and secretariat member K.S. Hariharan, that the government was fully in agreement with their demand, but could act on it only after going through due processes of law and conducting a preliminary investigation.

This, the Chief Minister and the Home Minister, pointed out, might take up to two weeks.

Earlier in the evening, the State Police Chief issued orders constituting a six-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by Superintendent of Police V.K. Akbar to probe the case.

Cabinet meet put off

The order came shortly before the Cabinet was to meet here on Wednesday evening. The meeting was later postponed to Thursday. The government’s original idea was to order a CBI probe based on the case charged by the Chombala police in Kannur in 2009 on the allegation that a conspiracy had been hatched to eliminate Chandrasekharan.

However, the government had to give up the proposal as the police had already inquired into the complaint and filed a charge sheet in the case.