Thiruvanthapuram: The state government has ordered the suspension of prison officials at Kannur Central Jail who sought police reports on CPM workers serving life sentences for the T P Chandrasekharan murder case to grant them early remission.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who also oversees the Home Department, issued the suspension orders for K S Sreejith, Joint Superintendent of Kannur Central Prison; Assistant Superintendent Grade-1 B G Arun; and Assistant Prison Officer O V Raghunath.
These officials requested police reports on the convicted murderers of T P Chandrasekharan, despite a court directive stating they are not eligible for leniency before completing a 20-year prison term. However, the officials included these inmates on the list for premature release, contravening the directive that mandates seeking a police report.
This incident has caused embarrassment for the state government, with the opposition raising the issue in the assembly. The UDF moved a notice on Tuesday seeking permission for an adjournment motion, which was denied by Speaker A N Shamseer. The Speaker rejected the notice moved by T P Chandrasekharan’s wife and RMP legislator KK Rema, asserting that no such move had taken place.
Leader of Opposition VD Satheesan criticized the Speaker for responding on behalf of the government and attempted to highlight the issue’s impropriety. However, the Speaker remained firm in not allowing any discussion on the matter and turned off Satheesan’s microphone. This led UDF members to protest in the assembly by chanting slogans and displaying placards, prompting the Speaker to quickly conclude the proceedings and call for an early adjournment.
Satheesan accused the state government of giving preferential treatment to the convicts. “These convicts receive undue privileges and five-star facilities even in prison. They dictate their menu. Rema sought clarification on their parole details five months ago, but no response was given. We believe they are blackmailing the CPM,” Satheesan told the media.
