Kevin's murder: Intense rift in police

Kottayam: Rift in police got intense after the Kevin’s murder at Kottayam. The lapse of Gandhinagar Sub Inspector in dealing with the case and failure in reporting the information are being widely questioned.

Senior officials point out that there was a serious lapse on the part of local police and special branch in reporting such a case promptly.

The investigation team is firm on the stand that the police cannot wash off its hands from responsibility in the incident. Therefore, senior officials have recommended strict actions against more officials. Such actions will be taken after thereport from Cochin Range IG is received.

Former Kottayam District Police Chief, VM Mohammed Rafiq, who was transferred after the incident, revealed that both the Sub Inspector and Assistant Sub Inspector failed to intimate higher authorities regarding the complaint filed by Kevin's father Joseph and Neenu, his wife.

Special Branch and Gandhi Nagar police erred gravely in this regard. Information passed by Special Branch DySP at 1pm on the day of the incident was incomplete.

There was no information regarding Neenu’s and Kevin's father’s coming to the police station or the complaint they filed. Information was received later. When it was found that there was serious lapse on the part of the SI, an explanation was sought forthwith. The reply was unsatisfactory.

The culprits and their vehicle could have been traced within minutes if the SI had passed proper information, Mohammed Rafiq said.