Covert move to sabotage Pookode death case?

Attempts and interventions were made from the very start of the investigation into the Pookode University case where J S Siddharthan, a student was found dead under mysterious circumstances. Members of the student organization SFI are accused in the case and it was mostly through media scoop that shrouded details about the incident saw light.

Earlier, the media, the opposition party and even Siddharthan’s relatives feared the chances of the investigation getting sabotaged if the case was handed over to Kerala Police. It was in this background that Siddharth's parents came to the Cliff House and submitted a petition to the Chief Minister, beseeching the leader to approve a CBI investigation.

The state government, just hours after the meeting, issued a notification leaving the case to the CBI on the 9th of this month. The move was welcomed by all sections as there exists a general belief among people about the success rate of CBI in bringing out the shrouded details and taking the real culprits to task. But the subsequent actions became an example of how easily even the decision of the cabinet can be overturned by officials.

Due to the official's inept handling, even the chief minister and others in the cabinet too had to face the blame from the people and the opposition. Here, the failure occurred on the part of the Secretary of the Home Department and the concerned officers of that department who are responsible for carrying out the steps following the Chief Minister's decision.

It was only after Siddarth’s father questioned the delay that the government decided to suspend three officials of the Home Department. More than that, all documents related to the case were speedily transferred to CBI and the procedures were completed in one day.

So, it was just a matter of some hours for the officials to send all related documents to CBI. So why was there a delay? Did the officials face any pressure from their superiors? these are vital questions that demand a response from the government.

It is rather shocking to learn that a case of this prominence was subjected to internal pressure from the home ministry, which is headed by the chief minister himself. It is imminent for the LDF government to curtail such practices of allowing undercover officials to pull the strings on prominent cases.

Those responsible for Siddharth's death should be brought before the law, irrespective of their party affiliation. Considering the turbulent atmosphere, it is the need of the hour to hastily bring CBI to the scene and find out the real culprits behind the horrendous crime.