Navakerala bus assault: SIT shifts probe to capital over alleged ADGP office involvement

ALAPPUZHA: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the brutal assault on MLA A.D. Thomas and Youth Congress leader Ajay Juel Kuriakose by the security detail of former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has shifted its operations to the state capital. The investigation is now focused on recovering the weapons used in the attack and uncovering an alleged institutional cover-up orchestrated from the office of the Additional Director General of Police (ADGP).

Investigators strongly suspect that the five-member bodyguard team launched the unprovoked attack on the protesters during the Navakerala Sadas rally under specific instructions from a higher authority. To verify this angle, the team is actively retrieving Call Data Records (CDRs) of the personnel involved. Efforts are also underway to seize the specific lathis used to strike Thomas on his head to subject them to forensic examination.

The expansion of the probe to Thiruvananthapuram follows critical testimonies revealing that ADGP M.R. Ajithkumar had summoned the initial investigative team to his office to alter the case diary. The top officer reportedly carried out the manipulation with the assistance of two Grade Sub-Inspectors attached to his office.

To corroborate these statements, the SIT has initiated legal procedures to secure CCTV footage from the ADGP’s office and record statements from the staff who were on duty that day. This evidence will form the basis of an upcoming report recommending departmental inquiries and disciplinary actions against the compromised officials.

Leadership continuity and next steps

Despite a major reshuffle, Alappuzha Crime Branch SP A.P. Shaukath Ali will continue to head the special probe. He is scheduled to step down from his Alappuzha post today to take charge as the new Kozhikode Police Commissioner. Kozhikode Crime Branch SP Venugopal has been appointed to succeed him in Alappuzha.

The SIT aims to summon the accused gunmen for another round of rigorous questioning, which will be followed by formal arrests once additional technical evidence is consolidated. Although the one-month deadline granted by the government to the SIT expires on June 18, a formal extension is expected as several crucial forensic reports remain pending.