Thiruvananthapuram: The CBI unit here is likely to register a case in connection with the custodial death of Sreejeev of Parassala this week itself. Sreejeev's brother Sreejith, who has been staging an indefinite stir in front of the secretariat for the last 774 days, said that he would take a decision on ending the stir only after he was convinced of some action against those responsible for his brother’s death.
According to sources, the probe would be under the supervision of CBI joint director in Chennai. Instructions were already given to the CBI Thiruvananthapuram unit to initiate the probe and they had sought the case files from the special police team which had been probing the case. Though the CBI had earlier rejected the state's plea to take over the probe, the state government as well as Congress MPs Shashi Tharoor and K. C. Venugopal had pressed for a CBI probe as the indefinite strike being staged by Sreejith got massive support following reports of the stir crossing 750 days.
Subsequently, the Ministry of Personnel issued a notification regarding the CBI probe on Thursday last. However, Sreejith decided to go ahead with the stir even after the chief minister's private secretary M.V. Jayarajan handed over the notification to him last week. Sreejeev was allegedly taken into custody by the Parassala police in May 2014 owing to his relationship with a girl, who was the relative of a policeman at the station. He died on May 21 allegedly following police torture.
The State Police Complaints Authority also found that it was custodial torture. But subsequent police investigation concluded that there was no evidence of custodial torture and hence Sreejith insisted on a CBI probe. The police version was that Sreejeev was taken into custody on charges of theft of mobile phones and that he consumed poison that was hidden in his undergarments. SPCA former chairman Justice Narayana Kurup had rubbished the allegations.
