Thiruvananthapuram: DGP Loknath Behera on Wednesday ordered crime branch probe against former state police chief T P Senkumar for his alleged anti minority remarks.
The DGP deputed Crime Branch ADGP Nitin Aggarwal to conduct the investigations. Earlier, the police registered a case against Senkumar on the basis of eight separate complaints which accused him of creating communal polarisation in the state.
Earlier, the DGP had sought legal opinion on whether a case could be registered and a probe can be carried out against Senkumar on the basis of the controversial remarks. The legal opinion was taken from the law officer at the police headquarters.
In an interview to a magazine, Senkumar had stated that of the every 100 children born in Kerala, 42 were Muslims. He suggested that the birth rate was high considering that the Muslim population in the state was 27 per cent.
According to him, the birth rate among Hindus who constitute 54 per cent of the population, was less than 48 per cent and the birth rate among 19.5 per cent Christians was 15 per cent.
He spoke about the demographic shift that the state might witness in future. Besides, he had also referred to the presence of “Love Jihad” in the state.
The former state police chief, however, refuted the allegations saying that his remarks had been twisted.
While Senkumar’s statement sounded music to the ears of BJP and Sangh Parivar outfits, the Left parties, particularly CPM, and the Muslim League hit out against the former DGP, accusing him of propagating saffron agenda.
Even the Congress which had considered him as their own man, criticised his ‘anti minority’ statement. Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithla accused him of blowing the trumpet of Sangh Parivar.
Senkumar also attended a function organised by BJP mouthpiece Janmabumi giving rise to speculations that he was planning to join the party. The other day a delegation of BJP leaders led by M T Ramesh had called on him at his residence.
Though the BJP leaders claimed that politics was not discussed during the meeting, political observers say something is definitely brewing between them.
