Vijayan’s mother seeks CBI probe into murder

Sreedeviamma learnt of her son’s death after the startling disclosure by police driver Dayanandan that Vijayan’s body was burnt by police.

The memorandum stated that Dayanandan’s confessions and the disclosures made by Sathi Rao, another CPI(ML) activist, had given a new twist to the death of Vijayan. Clause 173-8 of the CrPC has laid down that if any important clues came up at any stage, the case had to be re-investigated.

Sathi had disclosed to Samakalika Malayalam Varika that Vijayan fell dead on his lap after the torture he wassubjected to by police. Sathi shared a cell with Vijayan at a police camp in Sasthamangalam during the Emergency period.

The memorandum questioned the credibility of the earlier investigations into the case. That a case in which senior police officials were implicated was entrusted with the state police proved that it was done with the intention of shielding the guilty, it said. The then chief secretary had ordered against the suspension of the accused officials and police destroyed all vital clues, it said.

Sathi was excluded from the witness list even though he was the only witness to the murder of Vijayan, the memorandum said.

Sathi, who was also present at the press conference, recalled the events that took place on the day of Vijayan’s death. When asked why he had remained silent on the issue all these years and had failed to depose before the Padmanabhan Nair Commission set up to probe police atrocities during Emergency, Sathi said that he kept silent at the instance of Vijayan’sfather.

“Vijayan’s father was slightly wary of me as the police convinced him that I was an informer,” said Sathi. He further said that it was Vijayan who informed the police about his whereabouts. “I do not consider this a big crime because such was the kind of torture inflicted on Vijayan by the police,” he added.