CMO delaying arrests: Ramesh Chennithala

Kottayam: Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala on Saturday accused chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan's office preventing the arrest of Congress leader Shuaib's killers. "The police conducted vehicle inspection only after a few hours of the murder. They haven't recorded the statement of the family till now," he said. "The political and administrative involvement in the case became explicit as they had arrested suspects in the murder of an ABVP activist within 12 hours." He alleged that the arrest is not happening since the police are not getting "dummy" killers.

"The murder will not happen without the knowledge of the CPM leadership. Mr Vijayan is not willing to visit the house of Mr Shuhaib which is hardly 100 metres away from his house or is not ready to condemn the murder," Mr Chennithala said. Both the BJP which is in power at the centre and the CPM in the state are trying to execute a series of murders. The CPM is trying to spread the politics of fear."

He demanded a serious investigation into the lifers planning the murder inside the jail and executing the crime after getting out on parole. "The scenario inside the jail in Kannur is that the criminals can do anything they wanted," he said. "They are getting VIP consideration inside the jail." On the family's demand for a CBI investigation, he said it could not be ruled out. But the Congress party is not taking a position on it.