The Kerala government on Tuesday suspended three employees of the Home Department alleging “dereliction and unresponsiveness” in handing over documents and details to Central Bureau of Investigation with regard to the investigation into the recent death of a veterinary student.
The staff, Anju, who was serving as an assistant, Bindhu V K, a section officer and Prasantha V K, deputy secretary, were placed under suspension by Home Secretary Bishwanath Sinha.
The action was taken by the Pinarayi Vijayan government a day after it faced widespread criticism from opposition Congress and BJP, alleging it was yet to hand over necessary files to the CBI weeks after the Chief Minister had assured a central agency probe into the death of Sidharthan JS.
Besides the opposition, the deceased student’s family also came out against the government, alleging that the government was deliberately trying to delay the CBI probe without handing them over the necessary files and by destroying the evidence.
The 20-year-old student was found hanging inside the bathroom of the college hostel in Wayanad district on February 18, and his family and friends alleged that he was subjected to ragging by fellow students, including activists of CPI (M)’s students’ outfit, SFI. The state government announced it would hand over the case to the CBI on March 9 after the incident triggered a huge political row in the state.
In the suspension order, the government made it clear that the order handing over the probe to the Central agency was issued on the same day itself. But it was only on March 26 that the file was submitted along with the pro forma report and all other necessary documents in this regard.
The delay clearly demonstrates the “lack of diligence, proper and adequate action and dereliction and unresponsiveness” of the officials in dealing with the subject matter in the file, it said. “It has taken 17 days for the office to send all the required details in the prescribed method to the competent authority in the Government of India, requesting for investigation by CBI in a serious and sensitive matter,” the order further said.
The officials were placed under suspension with immediate effect till further orders pending detailed enquiry, it added. Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar, the NDA candidate for the Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha seat, on Monday assured the student’s family to expedite the launch of the CBI investigation into the death.
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