KOCHI: The government will consider a fresh probe into the death of Swami Saswathikananda in case of any new evidence in the charges made by Mr Biju Ramesh, working president of the Kerala Bar Hotel Owners Association, Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala told reporters here on Saturday.
The Crime Branch had conducted a probe and submitted a report earlier on the circumstances leading to death of the Swami, he said. “We will verify the fresh revelations,” he said.
Mr. Biju Ramesh has alleged that Priyan, a hired killer, was deployed by SNDP Yogam general secretary Vellappally Natesan to kill the Swami, the then head of the Sivagiri Mutt.
The body of Swami was found in river Periyar in Aluva in July 2002. Mr. Biju Ramesh also alleged that soon after the incident, Mr Vellappally had reached the residence of the Swami at Muttada in Thiruvananthapuram and collected all the documents under the possession of the Swami.
FRESH PROBE SOUGHT: The SNDP Yogam council meeting held at Cherthala on Saturday urged the government to order a fresh probe into the death of Swami Saswathikananda.
“ If the allegations levelled by Biju Ramesh are found false, legal action would be taken against him,’’ said Mr Vellappally Natesan. He said that a CBI or police probe should be conducted into the murder of T.P. Chandrasekharan also.
Yogam president Dr M.N. Soman said he had not conducted the autopsy of Saswathikananda Swami. “While the incident took place, I was attending a bookstall opening ceremony in the Aluva Advaitha Ashramam. We ran to the bank of the river hearing the screaming of Swami’s aide. Soon we alerted the Fire and Rescue men and countryboat operators in the river. One boat man fished out the body of Swami. Following this, the swamies of the ashram said there was no need of an autopsy as nobody had any complaints. However, some sections of people levelled allegations and the police conducted an autopsy in the ashram. A female doctor sent by the hospital superintendent performed it which was videographed,’’ said Mr Soman, who was then the Aluva SNDP union president.
KODIYERI’S DEMAND
CPM state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan demanded a detailed probe into the revelations made by Mr Biju Ramesh in connection with the death of the Swami.
He said in Thiruvananthapuram that a special investigation team should be constituted to probe the fresh allegations. “These issues have never come in the public domain in the past. The home department should order an impartial probe to bring out the truth based on these revelations,” he said.
He said there was an attempt to polarise the state on religious lines by mobilising community and caste organisations.
However, the chief minister had remained silent on the RSS-BJP move to tie up with the SNDP. They were trying to fish in troubled waters, he said and alleged that Rajan Babu had been deputed by the UDF to bring SNDP and BJP closer.
He alleged that a communal campaign was being unleashed by the RSS at the local level to inject poison in the minds of the people. Under these circumstances, all secular forces should come together and defeat their designs.
He said a situation like in 1982-87was developing in the state when power was controlled by such communal organisations, but later the LDF had defeated them massively.
Mr Kodiyeri justified the move to field Karayi Rajan and Karayi Chandrashekharan who are accused in the Fazil murder case and are facing CBI probe, in the local elections. “I was an accused in a murder case when I contested the Assembly elections for the first time. But later that case was dismissed. I had never seen the person who was allegedly murdered by me even once in my life,” he added.
“Karayis have no connection with the murder. The UDF government had forged a fake case against them. This reality should be discussed and the election is an opportunity for that. Let the people debate the issue during the elections,” he said.
