Thiruvananthapuram mayor letter row: Crime Branch fails to find original copy; seeks detailed probe

Sources close to the crime branch said that they could not confirm if the controversial letter was forged or not.
Thiruvananthapuram corporation Mayor Arya Rajendran (Photo: Special arrangement)
Thiruvananthapuram corporation Mayor Arya Rajendran (Photo: Special arrangement)

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: State Police Chief Anil Kant has ordered to register a case and conduct a detailed investigation into the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation letter controversy involving Mayor Arya Rajendran. The probe will be conducted by the Crime Branch.

The DGP ordered the probe following the recommendations of the CB team that conducted a preliminary inquiry. The CB team submitted its report on Monday.

The case will be investigated by a new unit of the crime branch, sources said. The probe will begin after registering a forgery case (Section 463) of the Indian Penal Code as the complainant Mayor told the sleuths that the letter could be forged.

The crime branch has not been able to find the original copy of the letter circulating in the name of Mayor Arya Rajendran. In this case, the crime branch recommended in the report that a case should be registered to find out who prepared and forged the signature of the Mayor.

The report also has the statements of the Mayor, two staff of the Mayor's office, and Works Standing Committee chairman DR Anil.

Sources close to the crime branch said that they could not confirm if the controversial letter was forged or not. Even though the Mayor termed the letter fake, it was not possible to find out who was behind the letter.

This week, the High Court is considering the petition, filed by former BJP councillor GS Sreekumar.

Meanwhile, the opposition has decided to intensify the protest within the corporation over the letter controversy. BJP and UDF have decided to plan strong protest programmes at the corporation office in the coming days.

Both fronts said they will continue the strike until the Mayor resigns. The allegations against the Mayor were that she herself had written a letter to the CPM district secretary, Anavoor Nagappan seeking a list from the party to appoint 295 contract staff in the health wing of the city corporation.

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