Thiruvananthapuram: Moves by the CPI(M) government in Kerala to grant remission to four convicts in the brutal murder of dissident party leader T P Chandrasekharan rocked the Kerala Assembly on Thursday.
Even as the government maintained that three prison officials were placed under suspension in this connection and there was no deliberate move to give remission to the Chandrasekharan murder convicts, opposition Congress countered it by alleging that the Pinarayi Vijayan government initiated a slew of out of the way measures to make the norms in favour of the murder convicts. Opposition also alleged that prison officials were being made scapegoats.
Vijayan's absence in the house during the day also triggered opposition's criticism that he was fearing to face Chandrasekharan's wife K K Rema, who is an opposition MLA.
Chandrasekharan was brutally murdered at Onchiyam in Vadakara on Kozhikode - Kannur border areas on May 4, 2012. The convicts in the case included CPI(M) local leaders. The Kerala High Court recently enhanced the sentence of nine key convicts and termed the brutal murder as 'barbaric'.
The fresh row is over including the names of four convicts among the list of prisoners recommended by Kannur prison superintendent for remission. Though the Opposition gave a notice for adjournment motion on the issue on Tuesday, speaker A N Shamseer even denied permission to present it. It had then led to disruption of the house due to opposition's protest.
On Thursday the Opposition raised the issue as submission. Opposition leader alleged that even as the government claims that there was no move to give remission, even on Wednesday the police took further steps based on the Kannur prison superintendent's recommendation. He also alleged that the government decision to do away with the norm that parole and remissions to prisoners should not exceed one-third of the sentence to help the murder accused.
Parliamentary affairs minister M B Rajesh, who spoke on behalf of the chief minister, said that three prison officials were suspended pending inquiry into the recommendation of Chandrasekharan murder convicts for remission flouting court order.
The Opposition staged a walk out from the house in protest.