Cops destroyed evidence by cremating body of Latvian tourist: BJP Thiruvananthapuram district president

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:  By showing undue haste in cremating the body of the Latvian tourist, the police have attempted to destroy evidence in their bid to save certain individuals, BJP district president S Suresh said on Friday.

Suresh, who had approached the State Human Rights Commission to prevent the cremation, said the two arrested men are active DYFI workers.

The police have attempted to save a local DYFI leader of Vazhamuttom who had instigated the rape and murder, Suresh alleged.

The time of the cremation was hastily changed from 5 pm to 4 pm on Thursday after the government came to know the commission had ordered the body should be buried and not cremated.

It is a major lapse on the part of the government that the approval of the Latvian and Irish embassies and the External Affairs Ministry was not sought before the cremation.

“The situation is such that if, in future, the investigation is undertaken by international agencies, they will have no other scientific evidence other than the ones prepared by the Kerala Police,’’ Suresh said.