Manoj murder case: CPM threatening police, says BJP

KANNUR: The CPM seems to be in the offensive even as crime branch officers have already arrested or interrogated a few local party leaders in connection with the Manoj murder case.
The latest is Tuesday's speech by CPM district secretary P Jayarajan at Kathiroor at an event organized to observe the martyrdom day of party leader M K Surendran.
"In the guise of investigation, the police have resorted to illegal activities and we will reply in kind for whatever they do," he said while inaugurating the public meeting.He added that history would not end with the regime of chief minister Oommen Chandy, indicating that the police would have to bear the brunt once CPM returned to power.
Whenever the murder case investigation has been extended to the party leadership, such threats, typical of CPM were made. A case should be registered against Jayarajan for making such provocative statements, said BJP district president K Ranjith.
"Whenever they supply dummy accused, they sit silent. If the police make investigate and nab the killers, they resort to threats to demoralize the police," he said. "That is why we demanded a CBI probe into the case because we knew that they would terrorise investigators to sabotage the investigation."
The move of CPM leader K T Prabhakaran's family to approach the court, too, has been seen as the party's pressure tactic. A former CPM branch secretary, Prabhakaran, has been in Manoj murder case. His family alleged custodial torture.
It was also alleged that a CPM leader had threated one of the investigators during the probe's initial stage. Police, however, remained unperturbed.
"This is a deliberate attempt to demoralize the police but the investigation will take its own course," said a senior police officer, who did not want to be identified. "But as long as we are confident that the probe is impartial, we will not be affected by such threatening speech."
The Congress, meanwhile, wanted to know why Jayarajan panicked over the crime branch probe. "Unlike others, Jayarajan keeps on making such comments, expressing panic and anxiety, and this naturally leads to some doubt whether he has any role in the case," said DCC president K Surendran.
The Congress man said Jayarajan should show the courage to tell that the CPM was ready to face any probe, be it the crime branch or the CBI.
Meanwhile, the SIT questioned three more people, including CPM Payyannur area secretary T I Madhusoodhanan. The other two were the office secretary of the CPM Payyannur area committee office and a staffer in the Payyanur Cooperative Hospital, police said.