League demands CBI probe into Marad riots

KOZHIKODE: IUML demanded a CBI probe into the two Marad Communal clashes that claimed 14 lives in the coastal village in Kozhikode. Talking to reporters after a high-powered committee and office bearers meet, senior leader E T Mohammed Basheer, MP and General Secretary K P A Majeed said a CBI probe would unravel the conspiracy angle in the second and first Marad riots that claimed nine and five lives in 2003 and 2002, respectively.

Describing the CPI (M)-led Left Democratic Front's move to boycott the proposed 'Emerging Kerala Investors' Meet,' as refutable, they said the Opposition was attempting to scuttle investment opportunities in the state. Allaying fears that the proposed projects under Emerging Kerala venture would cause environment hazards, they said they were conceived while considering safety measures. They said there was no basis for launching a campaign by some UDF leaders against such projects. They said the meet had welcomed the recent Supreme Court verdict awarding life terms to accused in the Naroda Patiya massacre case. The party had contributed Rs 64 lakh, clothing and food materials for Assam riot hit victims in the relief camps in that State. A 20-member team of the party was camping in the northeastern state to monitor the situation, they added.