CBI succumbs to political pressure: CPM

KANNUR: The ghost of Fasal, the NDF worker who was stabbed to death at Thalassery, continues to haunt the CPM. It is the CBI officials investigating the case who have become target of CPM attack on the issue now.  With the party organising a march to the office of CBI in Kochi alleging that the officials were falsely implicating CPM leaders in the case succumbing to pressures from the UDF, the sensational murder case has taken a new turn.
CPM district secretary P Jayarajan stated that the CBI officials were harassing the leaders of his party although there was no evidence to link them with the murder.
The CBI had already arrested three CPM workers in connection with the murder of Fasal.  The main allegation of the CPM is that the arrested party workers were forced by the CBI to state that some other leaders in the area  were involved in the murder. CPM district secretariat member Karayi Rajan and Thiruvangad local committee secretary Karayi Chandrasekharan were the two local leaders -- besides former district secretary P Sasi -- suspected to be linked with the murder by the CBI team. They had already been asked to come before the investigating team to give evidence.

Meanwhile, a notice issued by the CBI directing P Sasi to produce the minutes of CPM meetings was cited as a blunder as Sasi was not part of the party now.
P Jayarajan said it was ridiculous to ask a man who was no longer an office-bearer of the party  to produce the minutes of the party meetings. “The CBI is holding a probe with political motive,” alleged Jayarajan.
Fasal, a newspaper distributor who was also an agent of ‘Thejas’ daily, was stabbed to death during clashes between NDF and BJP-RSS workers at Thiruvangad, when the LDF was in power. As the news came out, NDF alleged that Fasal was killed by a group of BJP-RSS activists. The investigation into the case turned out to be a farce as the local police could not arrest anyone directly involved in the murder.
The investigation was later handed over to the Crime Branch of the police. For reasons not explained so far, the Crime Branch too could not make any headway into the probe. Meanwhile, it became clear that BJP and RSS had nothing to do with the murder. NDF also withdrew that allegation. The case was handed over to CBI following a petition filed by the wife of Fasal in the court.
As the investigation proceeded, CBI arrested three CPM workers accused of involvement in murder. Further arrests of some more CPM leaders seemed to be on the cards when CPM ‘sensed political motive in the entire investigation’.  Monday’s march to the CBI office in Kochi was the CPM way of reacting to the new development.