The Hindu : Kerala News : CPI seeks CBI probe into attacks

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Oct 07, 2004

Kerala

Kerala

CPI seeks CBI probe into attacks

By Our Special Correspondent

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, OCT. 6. The CPI State executive committee today asked the Government to refer the investigation into the recent spate of attacks on Christian community in the State to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

Briefing reporters about the deliberations of the executive committee here today, the CPI State secretary, Veliyam Bhargavan, said the murder of Fr. Job Chittalappally, Vicar of the Thiruthiparambu Church at Mala in Thrissur, the attack on nuns of the Missionaries of Charity at Olavanna in Kozhikode and setting fire to the altar of the St. Thomas Church in the capital showed a deep-rooted conspiracy which should be investigated by the CBI.

Mr. Bhargavan said the police investigation into these incidents was far from satisfactory. Though the police had initially claimed that at least five persons were involved in Fr. Chittilappally's murder, it was keeping mum after arresting one person. The police were trying to shield the guilty. In the Olavanna case too, the attempt of the police were to protect the real culprits. The same applied to the church case also.

Conspiracy alleged

The CPI leader alleged that these incidents were the result of a conspiracy hatched at the national level by the RSS leadership to foment communal passion. The conspiracy, he said, should be exposed and those from Kerala involved in it should be arrested. The BJP State president, P. S. Sreedharan Pillai, had said that the nuns were attacked by CPI(M) workers. But subsequent developments showed that the attack was carried out by BJP-RSS cadres. If the BJP-RSS leadership in the State had any involvement in the conspiracy, it could not be taken lightly, he added.

The CPI State executive, he said, had decided to observe October 14 as `protest day' to press for a CBI investigation into these incidents. The party's State executive committee members and MLAs would take part in a sit-in in front of the Secretariat. Demonstrations would also be held all over the State in the evening, he said.

Remove Raghavan

Mr. Bhargavan took strong exception to the Cooperation Minister, M. V. Raghavan's announcement that the Government would go in appeal against the Kerala High Court order that admissions in Government-controlled self-financing professional colleges should be strictly in accordance with the rank list prepared by the Commissioner of Entrance Examinations. The Minister's announcement was intended to facilitate graft in admissions. Mr. Raghavan had lost the right to remain in office after making such an announcement, the CPI leader said.

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