'Govt torpedoed multi-agency probe'

Kochi: Recommendation by the judicial commission on Marad riots for a probe by a multi-agency team into the larger conspiracy was thwarted by the state government, a former crime branch superintendent who headed the special investigation team (SIT) has alleged at the Kerala high court. An affidavit was filed by C M Pradip Kumar, who was the head of the SIT that first investigated the Marad riots of May 2003, opposing crime branch's recent statement to the high court that no evidence could be found regarding the larger conspiracy.
The judicial commission had recommended for a multiagency probe that was to include officers of Intelligence Bureau, Central Bureau of Investigation, and Directorate of Revenue Intelligence. However, the state government never tried to constitute such a team and they approached the central government instead seeking a CBI probe.
According to the former P, the nature of the investiga SP, the nature of the investiga tion that was recommended by the judicial commission was not presented to the CBI properly so that the central agency would dismiss the case as an old one without any rele vance. The UPA was in power at the centre and it was not keen to pressurize the CBI to take up the investigation, the affidavit said.
In the affidavit filed through advocate A Rajasimhan, the former SP has summarized the main points of the case that he claims to have recorded in the case diary. Ha wala dealers were questioned and they had revealed that around Rs 430 crore was released to some local persons and local banks. However, their real source and end users could not be traced, the court was told.
There were plans to acquire large tracts of land in this area under the guise of projects presented as part of Global Investment Meet. The massacre was planned to scare people of the area to facilitate smooth acquisition, the affidavit by the former crime branch officer said.