Communist Party of India (Marxist) district secretary P. Jayarajan will be questioned again by the special police team investigating into the Shukkoor murder case on August 1 as the team has found some contradictions in what he told the team during the two sessions of questioning earlier and what Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) State secretary T.V. Rajesh, MLA, said when he was quizzed by the special police team on Monday.
The special team would serve a notice on Mr. Jayarajan to appear before the team at 11 a.m. on August 1 at the Town Circle Inspector’s Office here. The CPI(M) district secretary had been questioned twice in connection with the murder case to unravel the conspiracy angle of the case. An officer in the team said that a few more details had to be gathered from Mr. Jayarajan for the progress of the investigation in the wake of the interrogation of Mr. Rajesh for three hours on Monday. There was some mismatch between the revelations of Mr. Jayarajan and Mr. Rajesh during their questioning.
Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) worker Abdul Shukkoor had been stabbed to death at Keezhara here on February 20 allegedly in retaliation for the attack on Mr. Jayarajan and Mr. Rajesh at nearby Ariyil on the same day. They had been admitted to the Co-operative Hospital at Taliparamba. The conspiracy part of the murder had surfaced following the arrest of CPI(M) Ariyil local secretary U.V. Venu and DYFI Taliparamba block president A.V. Babu after one of them disclosed that the plot to kill Shukkoor had been hatched at the hospital.
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The police team headed by the Superintendent of Police Rahul R. Nair questioned the MLA at the CI’s office here from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The MLA, who had been originally served notice to appear before the team on June 17 and allowed exemption from appearing before the team on scheduled dates earlier following his request citing Assembly session, was accompanied by CPI(M) leader K.K. Narayanan, MLA, and his advocate when he reached the CI’s office at 11 a.m. Besides the SP, the other members of the team, Deputy Superintendent of Police P. Sukumaran and Valapattanam Circle Inspector U. Preman, were also present during the questioning.
When he came out of the office after the questioning, Mr. Rajesh told the waiting journalists that the police had recorded his statement as part of the investigation. He said he told the police whatever he knew, he said. He also said that though he had earlier been told to appear before the team at the Guest House, he was later asked to come to the CI’s office.
Reacting to the queries by the reporters, the district police chief said that the investigation into the murder case was in its final phase as the police team had gathered useful information from the questioning of the MLA on Monday. He said that four more accused in the case were absconding. More arrests would be possible if necessary, he told in response to a question.
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