Nava Kerala Sadas assault: Previous probe team protected accused, says SIT

Kottayam: The special investigation team (SIT) probing the assault on KSU and Youth Congress workers during the Nava Kerala Sadas, questioned two policemen after finding that the former investigation team tampered with documents to protect the accused, including the gunman of the former chief minister.

The two policemen, who were SIs posted at the then ADGP M R Ajith Kumar’s office in Thiruvananthapuram, were summoned to Alappuzha and questioned by the SIT. The team, led by SP A P Shaukkathali at the Alappuzha crime branch office, questioned them for several hours. It is learned that crucial information aiding the investigation was obtained.

The SIT found that certain documents were replaced with new ones to ensure that the accused, including the former chief minister’s gunman who attacked the leaders, would not face legal action. It was also identified that there were discrepancies between the video footage of the attack and the statements recorded by the then investigation team.

The policemen were questioned as part of examining how alleged corrections and changes were made in the case documents. The SIT suspects that tampering may have occurred with original documents, witness statements, CDs and digital materials. The SIT sought to find out whether these officials acted deliberately in manipulating the case or aided the actions of superior officers.