Thiruvananthapuram: G Sakthidharan, former Associate Editor of Deshabhimani, has declined to reveal more details about his allegation that a top leader of the CPM had taken over Rs 2 crore rolled up in a reed mat from a businessman.
Sakthidharan, who arrived to make a statement to the police as part of the preliminary investigation into the petition filed by Benny Behanan, MP, took the stand that he did not have anything more to reveal than what had been posted on Facebook. He was not willing to reveal the name of the person against whom the charge was levelled or provide any evidence in support of the charge. With this, the possibility of a case being registered in the controversy that has targeted the Chief Minister has dimmed.
Sakthidharan, who reached the Cantonment police station to make his statement, shouted at mediapersons who took his pictures, reminding them that he was neither a criminal nor an accused person. He told the police that he had nothing more to say than what he had stated on Facebook. He maintained the same stand during the hour-long interrogation by the police under the leadership of the Cantonment Assistant Commissioner of Police, Stewart Keeler.
Although the police posed many questions regarding the allegation, he did not reply to any of them, maintaining that he had nothing more to say. The police said that they would not summon Sakthidharan again. The statement of the complainant, Benny Behanan, would be recorded. Since the complaint was filed based solely on the Facebook post made by Sakthidharan, the police had nothing more to obtain from the complainant. In these circumstances, the only way out for the police is to submit a report stating that there is no evidence to pursue the case any further.
The allegation made by Sakthidharan was that a top leader of the CPM and a present Minister had together taken over Rs 2 crore rolled up in a reed mat in Kochi and taken it to Thiruvananthapuram, and that he was among those who had counted the money. The Opposition had charged that the top leader was Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
