CBI registers case, but Sreejith vows to continue protest

 The CBI special crime branch unit here on Wednesday registered an FIR in the alleged custodial death of Sreejeev at Parassala police station.
Sreejith says he will continue the protest until justice is served
Sreejith says he will continue the protest until justice is served

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The CBI special crime branch unit here on Wednesday registered an FIR in the alleged custodial death of Sreejeev at Parassala police station. After submitting the FIR before the chief judicial magistrate court, the team headed by SP K M Varkey officially began the probe.
However, Sreejith, the elder brother of Sreejeev, who has been staging a marathon protest in front of the Secretariat demanding justice for his brother, refused to call off the protest. He reiterated his stand on Wednesday he will call off the protest only after action is initiated against the accused police officers in the custodial death. 

“I have not decided to end the protest. I will continue it till justice is delivered. That is, the culprits in the case should be booked at the earliest. Though the authorities said the CBI had launched the probe, I did not receive any intimation  in this regard so far. Until now, no one has recorded my statement. Hence, I’m renewing the call for initiating  stringent action against the culprits,” he said.

Sreejith has been protesting for the last 700 days urging the government to announce a CBI probe into the mysterious death of Sreejev. Though the government had approached the CBI last year, the agency refused to take up the case citing the case does not fall under the rarest of the rare category. The CBI probe was ordered on January 18 by the Centre after the state government wrote to them recommending the probe agency should be entrusted with the probe.

On January 19, the government asked Sreejith to call off  the protest, with M V Jayarajan,  the Private Secretary to the Chief Minister, handing over a copy of the Centre’s order for a CBI inquiry into the alleged custodial death of his brother. However,  Sreejith had refused to budge saying he will continue with the protest till the CBI probe gets under way.

The widespread support for Sreejith’s protest also forced the government to give into his demand for vacating the high court stay on the proceedings against the police personnel allegedly involved in the case.
Besides, the DGP had issued orders for probing Sreejith’s mother’s complaint regarding alleged harassment by the accused policemen.

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