SIT members will be given protection if needed

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) members probing the T P Chandrasekharan murder case will be given protection if needed, Home Minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan told reporters here on Thursday. When asked whether the SIT members had filed any complaint with him regarding any threat from CPM leader Elamaram Kareem, the Home Minister was reluctant to respond and only said that Kareem had not denied such allegations.He added that protection would also be given to those who had been spared after including them in the list prepared by the CPM to kill as claimed by the party’s Idukki district secretary M M Mani."Whether the top leaders of the CPM had any role in the political murders which were mentioned by Mani in his speech, would be proved after  probing him. But I would not drag V S Achuthanandan’s name in the case,’’ the minister said.He said that allegations levelled by Elamaram Kareem that the accused, who had been arrested in connection with the Chandrasekharan murder case were harassed in police custody was an attempt to misguide the investigation and it was a challenge to the judiciary.  Thiruvanchoor said that the accused had been treated well and they had not raised any complaint yet.