Former Police Chief gets Life Imprisonment for killing a Naxalite 40 years ago
A Naxalite, Varghese, was killed in a Police Encounter in Kerala on 18.02.1970. The local police closed the case as one of police encounter.
28 years later, a police constable declared that he had shot dead the naxalite on the orders of his superior officers. There was a public outcry and the Kerala High Court directed the CBI to investigate the issue – after 29 years of the incident. After extensive investigations, the CBI filed a charge sheet against the constable, the IGP and the DGP- all of whom had retired by then.
Yesterday when the CBI Court delivered its verdict, the constable was no more on this Earth having joined the naxalite he shot dead, in whatever world dead people go to, if at all they do. The court let off the DGP (rtd) and awarded life imprisonment to IGP (rtd), K. Lakshmana who is now 74 years old. The 74 year old retired IGP Lakshmana told the court that he had an excellent service record with the police force and requested leniency saying that he is suffering from health issued related to old age . He pleaded for maximum leniency and humanitarian consideration .
But the CBI court was not impressed and held, "... no more evidence is needed, it is proved beyond any shadow of reasonable doubt that Varghese who was caught alive was brutally killed by the first accused (late CRPF constable Ramachandran Nair) who was a stooge of Lakshamana who on his order brought about his plan."
The judgement has evoked mixed response – while some feel that high quality biriyani has to be provided to terrorists, naxalites and smugglers when they spend a few days in jail, others feel that policemen and government servants also deserve some humanitarian consideration and sympathy.