The Hindu : Kerala News : More arrests likely in headmaster’s death case

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Wednesday, Jul 23, 2008
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Kerala

More arrests likely in headmaster’s death case

Staff Reporter

Nearly a dozen persons are already in police custody

MALAPPURAM: More people are likely to be charge-sheeted in connection with the death of James Augustine, headmaster of ALP School, Valillapuzha, following violence at a cluster meeting for teachers’ training at Kizhisseri two days ago. Nearly a dozen people are already in police custody.

Police sources said those who beat up the headmaster were still at large. Eye-witnesses, who included block project officer Sankara Panikkar, said there were five in the gang that beat up Augustine. All of them were youngsters. The first information report filed by the police also mentioned five assailants.

Sources said the police officers investigating the case had been directed to include more names in the charge sheet. More arrests are likely in a day or two.

Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan visited the family of Augustine in his house at Thottumukkam in Kozhikode district on Tuesday. He consoled the headmaster’s kin, including his widow, Marykutty, and children, Neetha and Nikhil. He spoke to Augustine’s brothers and assured them a speedy and impartial investigation.

Various organisations, having allegiance with the United Democratic Front and the Left Democratic Front, demanded speeding up of the investigation.

The Muslim Youth League, whose activists were reportedly involved in the attack, warned against using the case for political vendetta. Its leaders said the Left organisations, particularly the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), were engaged in a vilification campaign against the United Democratic Front and its subsidiary organizations to divert the focus from the controversy over the class 7 social science textbook.

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