Kochi: The CPM has been put in the dock in the alleged custodial death incident at Varappuzha with son of a witness alleging that the party exerted pressure on his father to give a statement supporting the police version. Varappuzha police claimed it arrested 26-year-old S.R. Sreejith, who later died due to alleged custodial torture, based on the statement by key witness P.M. Parameswaran, a CPM local branch committee secretary and even leaked out the statement to back the version.
However, Sharath, son of Mr Parameswaran, said his father was not present at the location when the attack on Vasudevan’s house took place.
“This he told us and even to neighbours soon after the incident. However, two Area Committee leaders came to our house and took him out. My father returned in an inebriated condition and then gave the statement to the police stating that he was present at the location when the attack took place and that he saw Sreejith in the gang. He did that under duress,” Mr Sharath told reporters.
Mr Parameswaran, too the other day, denied that he was present st the scene, putting the cops in dock. The original complaint lodged by K.V. Vinish, son of C.M. Vasudevan who committed suicide after a gang attacked him, had not mentioned of Sreejith. Mr Vinish had told media that he had not mentioned about Sreejith and that it was a case of mistaken identity.
