TRIVANDRUM/NEW DELHI, 3 December 2004 — Tamil Nadu police yesterday questioned the parents of Kesavan Nampoothiri, who died under mysterious circumstances while studying in a Kanchi mutt-run institution some 20 years ago, as heated exchanges between the opposition and ruling benches were witnessed in the Lok Sabha over the arrest and alleged maltreatment of Kanchi Shankaracharya Jayendra Saraswathi.
The police team led by Goodalur Superintendent Sathyanarayna began investigation after the parents petitioned Kerala and Tamil Nadu chief ministers.
Tamil Nadu government has decided to investigate all suspicious deaths directly or indirectly connected to the Kanchi priest facing murder charges.
Kesavan Nampoothiri, a native of Kasargod in northern Kerala, was reported to have died of electrocution in Kanchi on Oct 1, 1985.
However, his parents refused to accept it as the death came soon after Kesavan tried to expose ‘undesirable activities’ in the mutt.
He died a couple of days before he was to visit his parents.
Two weeks later, the body of his roommate Sankaran Nampoothiri, was found on a railway track near Trichur.
The parents of these two boys had made several representations for an impartial inquiry, but to no avail.
The young Nampoothiris were studying at the Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswati Nyaya Sastra Sanskrit Mahavidyalaya in Kanchipuram.
Their families say the two boys were good students and good friends.
They received a message from Kanchipuram saying Kesavan had died of electric shock while trying to change a bulb. Kesavan’s body had injury marks to the head and genitals.
Meanwhile, heated exchanges were witnessed in the Lok Sabha with government making it clear that Parliament should not interfere in the Hindu priest case and allow the law to take it own course.
Ruling UPA members repeatedly clashed with those from the opposition over remarks made by BJP Deputy Leader V. K. Malhotra, with regard to the attitude of political parties on religion.
Raising the issue of the arrest of the priest in a murder case, Malhotra said the Tamil Nadu authorities were “maltreating” him and torturing witnesses to make statements against the seer.
Contending that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, had also written a letter to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalitha, to take care of the priest in view to sentiments of the Hindu community, Malhotra demanded that the case against the seer be transferred out of Tamil Nadu to ensure a fair trial.
Responding to opposition’s charges, the leader of the House Pranab Mukherjee, said the center had nothing to do with the case which was within the purview of the Tamil Nadu government and the courts there.
Malhotra’s comments provoked members from the AIADMK, the Congress, CPI (M) and RJD who vehemently countered the BJP leader’s remarks and wanted the speaker to expunge some of them.
The shankaracharya issue yesterday also surfaced in the Rajya Sabha with the center appealing to parties not to politicize the issue and allow the law to take its own course even as the BJP vociferously charged the Tamil Nadu government of shabbily treating the seer.
Meanwhile, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad(VHP) has demanded the release of the priest, from prison and dropping of all cases against him, saying the police had so far not collected any evidence with regard to his involvement in the Sankararaman murder case.
It also leveled charges against the chief of the team probing the case, K. Premkumar, claiming that he would not be able to investigate the case properly.
“He has already been convicted by a Fast Track court at Madurai. Several cases are also pending against him and the Madras High Court had indicted him twice,” VHP chief Ashok Singhal alleged.
