Alappuzha: Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) Vijay Sakhare stated that the investigators have got clear evidence that there had been clear planning and conspiracy at the top level prior to the execution of last weekend's double murder in Alappuzha.
Two political functionaries — KS Shan, a state secretary of the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), and Ranjeet Sreenivas, a state-level office-bearer of BJP’s Other Backward Classes outfit OBC Morcha were brutally killed on Saturday and Sunday within a span of 12 hours.
The ADGP said that the police has identified all the accused involved in the murder of Ranjeet Sreenivas. The accused have fleed the state and groups within the police force have been deployed to find them, he said.
"At this stage the police cannot reveal anything more," Sakhare said, but added "those who were arrested in connection with the Ranjeet murder case were not the accused who executed the murder. They were arrested only on charges of conspiracy and tampering with evidence."
Sakhre said that more SDPI workers have been taken into police custody over Ranjeet's murder, though no arrests were made on Wednesday in connection with the double murder.
The ADGP also clarified that there was no truth in the allegation that the arrested SDPI workers were made to raise slogans like "Jai Shri Ram".
"If the allegation is proved correct I would quit my job," the ADGP asserted.
Five remanded
Meanwhile, the judicial magistrate court remanded five SDPI workers in custody over the Ranjeet murder case. Those remanded are Arshad Nawas, 22, Ali Ahamad, 18, Asif Sudhir alias Achu, 19, Nishad, 36 and Sudheendran, 34.
Meanwhile, two RSS activists, Rajendran and Rathish, who were arrested in connection with the Shan murder case, were sent to the police custody for three days by the court.
Ambulance driver held?
An ambulance driver Akhil has been arrested in connection with the murder of SDPI leader Shan, sources say, though the police are yet to confirm it. The investigators hinted he has been taken into custody for questioning.
Two other suspects Anil and Shaji were also taken into custody by the police.
