The Hindu : Kerala News : `Report on victim's statement received'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Nov 30, 2004

Kerala

Kerala

`Report on victim's statement received'

By Our Staff Reporter

KOZHIKODE, NOV. 29. The Chief Minister, Oommen Chandy, today said he had received the report from the Inspector General of Police (North Range), Arvind Ranjan, on the retracted statement made by Rejina, key witness and a victim in the Kozhikode ice-cream parlour sex racket case.

Mr. Chandy was briefing mediapersons at the venue of the Mass Contact Programme organised at the Malabar Christian College ground here.

"Follow-up action on the report will be taken by the Government. If there is any lapse on this front, I will hold responsibility for that," Mr. Chandy asserted.

To a question on the attack on journalists in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday, Mr. Chandy said he had not received any formal complaint on the issue from the journalists' union. He learnt about the incident only through newspaper reports.

On the other hand, he had constantly been in touch with mediapersons at the time the attack took place. Their demand was that those journalists who had been arrested should be released and not remanded to custody. This request had been conceded, Mr. Chandy said.

He had discussed with the Director General of Police the issue of attack on journalists at the Karipur airport at least twice. Those involved in the attack will be booked, the Chief Minister added.

He expressed the view that it was not right on the part of mediapersons to have entered the office of the RSP(B) in Thiruvananthapuram.

Farmers' grievances

On the petitions received at the Mass Contact Programme, he said farmers' issues were in the forefront with as many as 6,000 petitions received on problems relating to agriculture. Such a large number of petitions relating to agriculture problems had not been received at Kannur or Malappuram.

The main issues highlighted by agriculturists were crop diseases and recurring drought. The Director of Agriculture, K.R. Jyothilal, was on hand to examine the problems and adequate steps will be taken in this direction, Mr. Chandy assured.

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