By IANS
Kottayam (Kerala) : Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders in Kerala have said that only a probe by a central agency would reveal the real culprits in the murder of a police official in a college campus here Friday.
Sub-inspector Elias, 47, was killed when he was hit by a piece of wood on his head during clashes between two rival students unions at the Changanacherry Nair Service Society College.
BJP leaders have claimed that a police team, acting under instructions from the government, allowed Communist Party of India-Marxist-controlled Student Federation of India (SFI) activists to escape while activists of the BJP-controlled students union were targeted.
“In the next few days, we will come out with the list of people who were actually involved and their pictures would be pasted here. They were allowed to escape and innocent people have been taken into custody. The real culprits will be caught only if the Central Bureau of Investigation probes the case,” said state BJP president P.K. Krishnadas.
Of the four people who were arrested, two have been admitted to the Kottayam Medical College hospital after they were beaten up by the police.
“I came to the college accompanying my fiancée as there was unrest there. For the past two years, I have been working in the Middle East and next month is my marriage. I am innocent and I have no role in the entire episode,” said Biju, one of those arrested, from the hospital bed.
Two police officials were suspended Sunday for manhandling the two accused.
Former union cabinet minister and senior BJP leader O. Rajagopal visited the two youths who are hospitalised and said it was strange that without making any inquiry the police have arrested innocent people.
“This is cruel because what happened appears to be a stage managed event and innocents have been arrested while the real culprits are roaming free,” said Rajagopal.
Raman Srivastav, director general of the police, at the house of the deceased officer said that the police would inquire whether any other persons were involved in the entire incident.