THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has made a U-turn in the actor assault case saying he had never ruled out a conspiracy, but had merely referred to a newspaper report about the controversy at a function on Friday. “I did not say there was no conspiracy behind the attack. At a public function (on Friday), I came across a newspaper which reported there was no conspiracy. What I said was based on that report and not on any official report. It was the media which initiated a probe into the conspiracy angle. I mentioned that too. I also said ‘let the police probe and find if there is a conspiracy’. Now the police has arrested those involved in the crime. They will unearth everything,” Mr Vijayan said. He accused Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala of jumping into conclusion without verifying facts.
The denial has come in the wake of criticism that Mr Vijayan, who also presides over Home, should not have jumped the gun at a time when the police was still trying to explore possible angles, whether it was a paid job or a crime committed for an individual gain. Even the CPI had flayed the statement as the SIT was in the process of getting at the truth and the accused were still in judicial custody. The statement was on the eve of the police filing an application to get the accused in their custody.
On Saturday, the accused cited the CM’s ruling out a conspiracy to oppose prosecution demand for police custody. Mr Chennithala said in Kochi that the statements of the Chief Minister on the attack on the actor would benefit accused Sunil alias Pulsar Suni and others. Alleging that there was a conspiracy to protect the accused, Mr Chennithala demanded that the probe should be carried out under judicial supervision. He was speaking at the conclusion of a hunger stir launched by Congress MLA P.T. Thomas protesting against the alleged law and order breakdown in the state.
