Chief Minister Oommen Chandy on Sunday denied the allegation that his office had interfered with the Marad probe. He said that his office had not tried to protect anyone connected with the incident.
“The allegation made by a former investigative officer is a serious one and he should produce proof to substantiate his claims,’’ he said. Former Crime Branch-Crime Investigation Department Superintendent of Police C M Pradeepkumar had alleged that the CM’s office has interfered with the probe. Pradeep Kumar was the head of the Special Investigation Team that was assigned to probe into the incident of Marad massacre. He made the allegation during the commemoration meeting of the Marad massacre.
He also mentioned about the involvement of terrorists in the Marad massacre. He alleged that the CM’s office had interfered with the probe on issues such as the telephone calls between Mohammed Fahad, a suspected member of the Pakistan-based Al-Badr terror group and a youth leader of the UDF.
The communal riots claimed 8 lives at the coastal village of Marad in Kozhikode district on May 2, 2003. The CBI refused to take up the issue based on the recommendations of the Thomas P Joseph Commission. Later, the State Government ordered the probe into the incident.