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Slain leader’s wife ends fast after Chandy pledge
Slain leader’s wife ends fast after Chandy pledge
IANS/Thiruvananthapuram
The wife of a slain Marxist leader in Kerala yesterday ended her hunger strike after Chief Minister Oommen Chandy promised a CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) probe into the conspiracy behind her husband’s murder. |
K K Rema, wife of the late T P Chandrasekheran, launched her protest on Monday in front of the secretariat to urge the Kerala government to go in for a CBI inquiry.
Yesterday, the Kerala government gave its nod for a CBI probe.
“We take the chief minister’s word that the state government will go in for a CBI probe after completing all legal requirements,” Rema’s party colleague N Venu told reporters at the fast venue.
Veteran journalist B R Babu Bhaskar handed Rema a glass of juice to end her fast.
Chandrasekheran, 51, who launched the Revolutionary Marxist Party, was hacked 51 times by assailants on May 4, 2012, when he was returning home on his motorcycle.
A hugely popular leader in and around Kozhikode district, Chandrasekheran took on the Communist Party of India-Marxist, his former party which ousted him in 2008.
CPI-M state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan then publicly dubbed Chandrasekheran a “renegade”.
A tired and frail Rema thanked all who supported her during the protest. Celebrations broke out as news spread that the fast had ended.
Members of the Revolutionary Marxist Party, which Rema now heads, took to the streets in joy.
Rema was moved to a hospital for a medical check-up.
Last week, the special additional sessions court at Kozhikode sentenced 11 accused to life imprisonment for the murder and attributed the killing to political rivalry. The 11 included three senior district leaders of the CPI-M.
Earlier, the cabinet deliberated the issue at length.
After Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala explained the process of law, the cabinet gave its nod for a CBI probe. “There are procedures to be followed when the state seeks a CBI probe, and it will take time. But the cabinet has agreed to give the in principle clearance for the probe,” said Chandy.
Ever since Rema went public demanding a CBI probe, the CPI-M was up in arms and flayed what it said was a secret understanding between the state government and the Revolutionary Marxist Party. “It’s most unfortunate that Chandy has no faith in his own police force,” said CPI-M party leader P Jayarajan.