Kerala, Puducherry policeagree to cooperate in probe

As Mahe and nearby areas are returning to normality after the outbreak of tension following twin murders of a Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] local leader and a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) worker late night on May 7, a high-level meeting of Kerala and Puducherry police officers led by State Police Chiefs of the two States decided to carry out investigations with mutual cooperation to arrest the accused in both the cases as quickly as possible.

Kerala Director General of Police Loknath Behera and his Puducherry counterpart Sunil Kumar Gautam discussed the law and order situation in Mahe and nearby areas in Kannur district left tense following the murder of CPI(M) local leader Kannippoyil Babu at Palloor in Mahe and retaliatory killing of U.C. Shamej at nearby New Mahe.

Inspector General (Kannur Range) Balram Kumar Upadhyay, Kannur District Police Chief Siva Vikram G. and Puducherry Senior Superintendent of Police Apoorva Gupta were present at the meeting held at the Government Rest House at Thalassery in the afternoon.

The DGPs and other senior police officers of the two States later visited the spots where the two murders had occurred. The areas that witnessed incidents of attacks on May 8 were still tense. But no incidents were reported on Wednesday. A BJP office and a Puducherry police vehicle had been torched by alleged CPI(M) workers at Irattappilakkool at Palloor.

The murder of Babu was being investigated by a Puducherry police team guided by Ms. Gupta. Puducherry DGP told reporters. “We are in touch with the Kerala Police,” Mr. Gautam said. Since Palloor is a small area neighbouring parts of Kerala, the Kerala Police are fully cooperating with the Puducherry investigating team, he said adding that the assailants of Babu would be arrested without delay.

Talking to reporters after the meeting, Mr. Behera said though the investigations into the two murders occurred in two States could not be conducted jointly as per the law, there would be cooperation between the investigation teams of the two States, he said. “We discussed how with mutual cooperation we can quickly arrest the accused persons and how to make good investigation,” Mr. Behera said.

During the police officers’ meeting at the Government Rest House, A.N. Shamseer, MLA, dropped in and conveyed his ‘grievances’ to the Puducherry DGP. Asked about the MLA’s meeting with the officers, Mr. Behera said: “The MLA had certain grievances which he conveyed to the Puducherry DGP and his demand was that the accused should be arrested at the earliest.”