The Kottayam police has received criticism from various quarters, including Finance Minister Thomas Isaac and former Chief Minister VS Achuthanandan, as evidence of police complicity in the murder of Kevin Joseph came to the fore on Wednesday.
Even as Kochi range Inspector General Vijay Sakhare, who is heading the investigation team, told media persons on Wednesday that Sub-inspector Shibu and an ASI Biju knew of the crime, Administrative Reforms Commission Chairperson VS Achuthanandan came down heavily on the force.
The former Chief Minister of the state said that it was because of the laxity shown by the police that Kevin had lost his life. Achuthanandan added that the Home Ministry must at once take note of the incident. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan is also the Home Minister of the state and ever since the LDF government came to power, the state police have come under severe criticism for lapses.
Meanwhile, Kerala Finance Minister Thomas Isaac said that the tragedy that has struck Kevin and his wife Neenu calls for deep self-criticism.
Taking to Facebook, Thomas Isaac wrote: "The SI did not act on Neenu's complaint that Kevin had been abducted. In order to not attend to the complaint, he claimed that he was busy because of the CM's visit to Kottayam. The complaint was received in the morning, the CM's visit was scheduled for the evening. The SI had ample time to act on Neenu's complaint. There were so many things he could have done at that point of time. He could have given message to nearby police stations, tried to locate the accused through their phone signal and so on."
In his post in Malayalam, the minister also vehemently defended CM Pinarayi Vijayan, saying that the media had unnecessarily attacked him.
"It is so clear that the SI used CM's visit as an excuse to not take up the complaint. If not the CM's visit, he would have found another reason to not consider the complaint. That's obvious," Isaac wrote.
He added that despite DYFI members helping the young couple and giving their support to Kevin's family at a time of despair, Kevin did not survive.
"Despite party leaders like me holding positions of power, today, Kevin is no more. He couldn't even live with Neenu for a day. And what did she get? Sorrow and tears and unfulfilled dreams. Her tears will, no doubt, burn our political and social system," the FM wrote.
On Wednesday, the shocking nexus between the police and the accused was revealed, with a telephonic conversation between the cops and the first accused Shanu - Neenu's brother - was accessed by the media.
Instead of tracking down the abductors, the police promised them help. A report by Central Zone IG Vijay Sakhare to the DGP said that assistant sub inspector Biju was aware of the kidnapping. It also stated that both Sub inspector MS Shibu and Biju had committed serious lapses in the investigation.