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Marad: BJP demands decision on CBI probe

By Our Special Correspondent

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM NOV. 22. The BJP State president, P. S. Sreedharan Pillai, has demanded an early decision on the proposed CBI inquiry as per the terms of reference of the Marad agreement.

Addressing a press conference here today, Mr. Pillai said that the Government had agreed to order a CBI probe after examining the legal aspects, particularly with regard to the international and terrorist links in the incident. He said that it was unfortunate and regretful that the Government had not taken a decision in the last 45 days.

``We are concerned over the delay and therefore we urge the Government to take positive and creative steps to facilitate the CBI probe,'' he said. Saying that the BJP had not set a timeframe for the probe, the BJP president said that it was for the Government to clarify its position.

There had been instances when the Government had got legal opinion on issues within a matter of 24 hours and there was nothing that prevented the Government from making such a move in the Marad case, he added.

Asked whether someone was blocking the probe, Mr. Pillai said that the BJP had brought up the issue in the light of the repeated demand for the probe and the news reports about the Advocate General sitting on the file.

Asked specifically whether he felt that the IUML, whose leaders had been accused of being involved in the Marad incident initially, was blocking the probe, the BJP president said that he did not want to fling accusations against the party as there was no material evidence about it.

'Conciliatory approach should continue'

Our Special Correspondent writes from Kozhikode:

The chairman of the Gandhi Peace Foundation, P. Gopinathan Nair, who had led the mediatory efforts for a peace formula in Marad, today called for sustained action by leaders of Hindu and Muslim communities to maintain peace in the village. At a meeting called to announce the decision to end the ongoing peace campaign conducted in Marad by the Kerala Sarvodaya Mandalam on December 2, Mr. Gopinathan Nair appealed to the two groups to continue to maintain the same attitude of compromise that had enabled the Government to restore peace in Marad after the violence on May 2.

Even though the camp of Gandhians would be formally wound up on December 2, a five-member team of Gandhian volunteers would remain there as observers, he said.

Vocational training programmes would continue.

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