The Hindu : Kerala / Kochi News : Chandy: `KSU martyr' row unnecessary

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Thursday, May 31, 2007
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Kerala - Kochi

Chandy: `KSU martyr' row unnecessary

Special Correspondent

Aim is to make political score: Chandy

KOCHI: Leader of the Opposition Oommen Chandy has said the controversy over the death of a college student in 1967, who was claimed to be the `first martyr' of Kerala Student Union (KSU), is intended to make political score. At a press conference here on Wednesday, Mr. Chandy said the `murder of Murali of Thevara College' during the second E.M.S. Namboodiripad Government was totally unwarranted now.

A recent book by Director of the Kerala Press Academy Sathyavrathan mentioned that Murali was not killed in police lathi-charge, but had died of a heart attack. The then senior leaders like A.K. Antony and Oommen Chandy had been aware of this and the KSU had capitalised on the death. Mr. Chandy had said that the Government refused to order a judicial probe into Murali's death and this was because of the fear that the probe would find out that the lathi-charge on students was a big mistake. Mr. Chandy, however, brushed aside the question whether the remarks in the book that a wrongly spelt name in a newspaper report had turned Murali into a `KSU martyr' and that Mr. Chandy had asked the author not to reveal this fact at that time.

Referring to V.S. Achuthanandan's response to Mr. Chandy's poser as to the propriety of the former staying on as Chief Minister, he (Mr. Chandy) said the poser was to the `Marxist party establishment' and not to Mr. Achuthanandan. He said the six questions he had asked the Chief Minister about the accord on Smart City had still not been answered.

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