Jishnu Pranoy death: Cops nab vice-principal arrested

Thrissur: The investigation team inquiring into the Jishnu Pranoy suicide case arrested K.N. Sakthivel, the third accused vice-principal of Nehru College of Engineering, from an apartment at Anoor near Coimbatore on Sunday afternoon. The police nabbed him 54 days after registering an FIR on February 13 and on the fifth day of the indefinite fast of Jishnu’s mother Mahija, uncle K.K. Sreejth and younger sister Avishna who were demanding the arrest of the third accused and fourth accused C.P. Praveen, a teacher. Thrissur range IG M.R. Ajith Kumar said that the operation to arrest the vice-principal was jointly conducted by the newly constituted investigation team headed by Crime Branch ADGP Nithin Agarwal and the existing one under him.

According to sources close to the investigation team, a team led by Valappad CI C R Santhosh Kumar traced the phone calls of the vice-principal to Coimbatore on Saturday and on the basis of an tip off from a resident of Anoor, located his presence in an apartment near an ITC owned by Sakthivel's relative Thangavelu.Sakthivel, 45, is a resident of Savithir Garden at Sinthamani Puthur in Coimbatoreand was staying in an apartment for the past three days.IG S.Sreejith was also monitoring the team tracing the vice-principal.

By 6.30 p.m. Sakthivel was brought to the Police Club in Thrissur for questioned. Investigation officer ASP Kiran Narayanan, Thrissur Rural SP N Vijayakumar, Thrissur Range IG M R Ajith Kumar, Chalakkudy DySP T Shahul Hameed and Crime Branch DySP Sojan  started questioning the accused in the club as soon as he was brought there.

The arrest of the accused assumes importance as he along with Praveen had brutally beaten up Jishnu Pranoy on January 6 at the board room (‘torture cell’) of the college after trapping the victim on false charges of copying during examination and the police investigation report says that Jishnu committee suicide after the mental shock he suffered after getting trapped and beaten up by the college staff.

There are also unconfirmed reports of fourth accused Praveen, 37, a resident of Maruthambalam in Palakkad, being picked by police. K K Sreejith had alleged on Sunday that Praveen had recently visited a co-operative bank at his locality and withdrew Rs one lakh from the bank after spending hours there. Sreejith said that the bank records could be the proof for his allegation. As per the police records, Praveen is absconding since February 12.

Investigation team is planning to produce Sakthivel before Wadakkanchery Magistrate on Sunday night after questioning. He will be investigated thoroughly to prove the prosecution case of a conspiracy to trap Jishu which involves first accused P Krishnadas, Chairman of Nehru College and PRO of the college Sanjit K Viswanath, the second accused in the case. Citing want of proper evidence, High Court had earlier granted anticipatory bail to both Krishnadas and Sanjith. The High Court is expected to hear the anticipatory bail application of Sakthivel on Monday.