BJP Tamil Nadu president K. Annamalai wrote to Governor R.N. Ravi, requesting him to immediately instruct the State government to suspend Additional Director-General of Police (Intelligence) Davidson Devaasirvatham and three other police officials in a case of issuance of fake passports.
Recalling that the Madras High Court had directed the Q Branch to complete the investigation and submit a report in three months, Mr. Annamalai said IGP Intelligence-Internal Security C. Eswaramurthy had added Mr. Devaasirvatham as one of the officers to be investigated in the case and sought documents from the Director-General of Police, and the sanction letter was forwarded to the Home Secretary for his consent.
The sanction letter from the Home Secretary was forwarded to Mr. Devaasirvatham to provide the documents related to the case, but there was no progress since then, Mr. Annamalai said.
“It is evident that the probe lacks transparency owing to the involvement of those implicated in this case. In all possibilities, the material evidence would have been destroyed owing to the exorbitant delay on the part of Mr. Devaasirvatham. An issue related to our national security is being investigated haphazardly, and has defied the timelines to conclude this case as set by the High Court,” he said.
On the other hand, Mr. Annamalai said, the whereabouts of the fake passport-holders were unclear, and their way of obtaining fake passports and fleeing India posed a severe threat.
“Without the involvement of the Commissioner of Police of Madurai during the period in which the fake passports were issued, the lower-rung officers couldn’t have committed this. And it is rather unfortunate that the DMK government and the Home Secretary have let a tainted officer handle the State’s intelligence. We are given to understand that more than 200 fake passports were issued from Madurai during the period in which Mr. Devaasirvatham was the city commissioner,” Mr. Annamalai said.
He also requested the Governor to exercise his powers in view of the threat to national security and order a probe by either the CBI or the NIA at the earliest.
