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Vedi to discuss delay in ordering CBI probe

By Our Staff Reporter

KOZHIKODE NOV.17. Miffed at the delay in ordering the promised CBI probe into the massacre at Marad on May 2, the Hindu Aikya Vedi, a conglomeration of various Hindu outfits, has decided to convene an urgent meeting to discuss the issue in Kochi on Friday.

The Hindu Aikya Vedi State convener, Kummanam Rajasekharan, told The Hindu today that the Cabinet on October 5 had decided in principle to request the CBI to investigate the conspiracy, the inter-State connections and the terrorist link in the May 2 carnage on the beach.

It had also sought the legal opinion of the Advocate General, M. Ratna Singh, on the question whether a CBI probe could be ordered to investigate further into a case in which the investigating officers of the Crime Branch (Special Investigation Team) had already filed a chargesheet at the Session Court.

But so far, the State Government had been soft-pedalling on the demand for a CBI probe. Several representations had been submitted to the Chief Minister, A.K. Antony, in Thiruvananthapuram in October and November in this regard.

Mr. Rajasekharan himself had met Mr. Antony on October 19 and on October 29 and then along with the Marad Araya Samajam secretary, T. Suresh, and the Hindu Aikya Vedi State president, J. Shishupalan, on November 12.

As a final step to press for its demand, a delegation would again meet the Chief Minister on November 19. The organisation would have no other option but to go ahead with its plans to launch a Statewide agitation for its long-standing demand, Mr. Rajasekharan warned.

The CBI probe had been one of the major demands of the Hindu organisations to settle the Marad carnage. A settlement had finally been reached between the Muslim and Hindu organisations after a series of marathon "peace talks'' held in Kozhikode and Thiruvananthapuram in the first week of October.

This contentious issue had also led to the delay in rehabilitating hundreds of dislocated Muslim families at Marad.

Mr. Rajasekharan said that the Chief Minister during their first meeting on October 19 had assured him that a reminder would be sent to the Advocate General. On their second meeting, the Chief Minister had said that it had already been sent and at the third meeting a few days ago, Mr. Antony had said that it would be expedited as soon as possible.

Mr. Rajasekharan said the Hindu Aikya Vedi had also submitted a list of senior advocates, retired judges and police officers, including T.V. Prabakaran, K. Ramkumar, Thottathil Radhakrishnan, Bhaskaran Nair, Parvata Rao and A. Padmanabhan, who were of the view that a CBI inquiry could be ordered.

They pointed out that in cases related to the Rajiv Gandhi assassination, the Babri Masjid demolition, E.P. Jayarajan murder attempt inside a train and more recently the Periya tree felling, the inquiry by another agency was ordered after the completion of a probe, Mr. Rajasekharan said.

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