Kerala: Pressure to investigate police officers after leak of government prisoner list

KANNUR: Action awaits two police officers implicated in the leak of a list of prisoners that the government planned to release from Kannur central prison. Controversy erupted as the list included those convicted for the murder of Revolutionary Marxist Party (RMP) founder T P Chandrasekharan.

Koothuparamba ACP interrogated the two officers of Panur and Chokli police stations. Preliminary findings suggest the list was leaked by CPOs Praveen and Shaju.

The move to pardon the accused in the TP case left the state government and the home department red-faced. Subsequently, the home department ordered an investigation to identify the source of the leak.

The initial investigation concluded that the list, provided to the Kannur prison superintendent and the city police commissioner, was leaked from Kannur. It was following this lead that the two officers were interrogated.

Koothuparamba ACP interrogated Praveen and Shaju, who reportedly called TP’s wife and Vadakara MLA K K Rema to take her statement on remission for TP case accused Muhammad Shafi and Sijith S. When they failed to reach her, they contacted Rema’s gunman.

The police’s initial findings indicate that the list, specifying the remission of punishment, was sent via WhatsApp to the gunman to explain the demand.

The home department’s investigation concluded that this was the point of the leak. The officers’ statements are currently being verified, and further steps will follow a detailed investigation.

In the meantime, ASI Sreejith, who recorded Rema’s statement on the commutation of TP case convicts’ sentences, has been transferred from Kolavallur station to Wayanad. Rema’s statement was intended to provide relief to one of the convicts Trouser Manoj. Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan raised the issue in the Assembly.

Initially, the government maintained that there was no move on its part regarding remission for those accused in the TP case.

However, the home department later suspended three jail officials for including the convicts’ names in the list.