Veteran CPM leader and Leader of the Opposition in Kerala Assembly VS Achuthanandan demanded probe into the death of Abbas Sait, the private secretary to PK Kunjalikkutty, the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) supremo. VS pointed out that Sait’s death occurred when he was about to be interrogated in connection with an ‘arms case’. CBI had registered a case, with Subi Mali as the first accused, in connection with supplying substandard products to Defence Ministry’s armament factories from State Industries Ministry–controlled Steel & Industrial Forging Ltd. Unreasonable profit making was alleged too. Talking to the media men, VS gave hints of links of prominent persons in the State Industries Ministry in the case. He said that government should come forward to investigate into the roles of some in the ‘arms case’. He added that Abbas Sait’s death should be investigated into, because, he died when his arrest, in connection with the “arms case”, was imminent.
VS’s another allegation was that IUML is running a parallel government. He alleges that K Abdul Rasheed, Kunjalikkutty’s gunman has been appointed as the Malappuram Passport Officer in violation of all sorts of rules. He blamed that the passport officer has been utilised as a camouflage for human and women traffic by making changes in the passport. VS stated that 137 cases had been registered for ‘correcting’ the passports, but, Kunjalikkutty and Union Minister E Ahmed are threatening the concerned. Most of the cases are in connection with women traffic, VS alleges. The age of the 16 years old girls have been changed to 30 or 40 years. Passport offices in Kozhikode and Malappuram are instructed by Foreign Affairs Ministry to give back to the holders the passports which were confiscated due to errors. Such a step was never taken anywhere else in the country.
VS asked the government to handle those cases with utmost seriousness in the wake of the warning that the fake currency printed in Pakistan is being distributed here.
VS’s allegation assumes serious significance as IUML is a force to reckon within the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) mechanism. Oommen Chandy government struggles hard to maintain the rule facing several allegations including Solar-Gate, thanks to the abnormally cordial relations CM’s personal staff had kept with Solar-Gate girl Saritha Nair. (TS)
