K.V. Santhosh, chief investigating officer in the T.P. Chandrasekharan murder case, told the trial court here on Monday that the confidentiality of the intelligence reports regarding the death threats to the Revolutionary Marxist Party (RMP) leader had lost their significance as the warnings had turned out to be true.
He was replying to a question posed by the defence counsel P.V. Hari whether it was right for the police to submit classified documents to the court.
The case related to a gang allegedly hired by the CPI (M) hacking to death Chandrasekharan at Vallikkad at Onchiyam on May 4, 2012.
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([Previously three Dy.SPs had testified that the State Special Branch (Intelligence wing of the State police), in six reports to the Home Department, had warned of a possible attack on Chandrasekharan and also submitted these reports). Mr. Santhosh, who is a Deputy Superintendent of Police, Crime Branch, said that the CPI(M) had nursed a grudge against Chandrasekharan.
He said this while being cross-examined by the defence counsels before R. Narayana Pishradi, special judge, Special Additional Sessions Court (Marad Cases) here at Eranhipalam.
The officer also added that this was revealed during probe conducted at the residence of the Chandrasekharan and the office of his fledgling party formed by splitting the CPI (M) in the Onchiyam region.
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This probe had been carried out after gathering clinching evidence and not on the basis of the statements made by the State Home Minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan and the Union Minister of State for Home Mullappally Ramachandran.
Mr. Santhosh said that he was unaware of the statements made by both Ministers allegedly the involvement of the CPI (M) in the killing soon after the incident. However, the defence lawyers argued that the statements made by the Ministers had compelled the police to act according to a prepared script.
Political pressure made the investigators to frequently communicate with their superiors.
The CPI (M) leaders P. Mohanan, C.H. Ashokan, Karayi Rajan and K. K. Krishnan were arraigned as accused in the case to satisfy their political opponents, they argued.
However the Dy.SP. refuted these allegations and he also pointed out that the police had looked into all aspects in the case including those who even had a personal grouse against Chandrasekharan and vice-versa. It was revealed during the probe that only the CPI (M) had hostility towards him, Mr. Santhosh said.