CM Vijayan violated oath of office by ordering release of activist with Maoist links: BJP

Thiruvananthapuram: BJP in Kerala alleged on Tuesday that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has violated the oath of office by "ordering" the release of an activist who was taken into custody for his suspected Maoist links.

Party state president Kummanam Rajasekharan said Vijayan had "directed" the police to release Nadeer Gul Mohammed, who was taken into custody in Kozhikode on Monday.

It was for the police to confirm whether the detained person has any connection with the radical outfit, he said in Thiruvananthapuram in a statement. "The direction given by Chief Minister to release the person taken into custody in connection with Maoist link was violation of the oath of office," he said. Referring to the criticism of CPI (M) state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan and Marxist veteran VS Achutanandan against the police action, he said Left leaders were "trying to sabotage the investigation by putting pressure on police." Releasing a person without proving him innocent was amounted to bypassing the judiciary itself, he said.

Joining the issue, KPCC president VM Sudheeran wanted Vijayan to demit the home portfolio as he has "lost moral right to continue." The ruling CPI(M)'s "intervention in police force for political purposes has resulted in home department losing control over it, he said."

Taking a dig at Vijayan, he said even veteran CPI(M) leaders like VS Achutanandan and Kodiyeri Balakrishnan were forced to denounce the police actions. He also pointed out that CPI, a key partner in LDF, had also came down against state police.

A day after taking into custody for his suspected Maoist links, Nadeer Gul Mohammed was let off by police on Monday saying there was no evidence against.