The Congress and the BJP on Saturday slammed Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who contended that there was no conspiracy behind the kidnapping of a popular Kerala actress that took place last week.
Both state Congress president VM Sudheeran and his BJP counterpart Kummanem Rajasekheran hit out at Vijayan, who had on Friday ruled out any conspiracy and attributed the crime's planning to main accused Pulsar Sunil, who is now in police custody.
Sudheeran said that it is ‘ridiculous’ to hear the Chief Minister, who also is the Home Minister, stating that there is no conspiracy in the actress abduction case.
"Through this statement from Vijayan, the intentions are now clear that he wants to close the case and fix the crime on the now arrested. The prime accused has already gone on record to state that he was hired and now when the Chief Minister says that there is no conspiracy, there are doubts that come up," he said.
Rajasekheran in a statement said Vijayan's curt remark that there exists no conspiracy in the case is to scuttle the probe and to put pressure on the probe team.
"It's baffling that while the victim and others have said that there exists a conspiracy in her abduction, Vijayan's statement has come as a shocker... police should be allowed to do their job without any interference," he said.
On Saturday, the counsel for the accused cited the Chief Minister's statement that there was no conspiracy in the court, when police sought the custody of the two to find out the conspiracy, as he argued there is no need to send them to police custody.
On Friday, a court here had remanded the prime accused and his accomplice to judicial custody and on Saturday, it handed the two to the police for interrogation till March 5.
The actress returned to work on Saturday, taking part in the puja of her new film "Adam", that has Prithviraj in the lead role.
A large media contingent, and curious onlookers were present as it was earlier announced that she wish to speak to the media. But she later decided not to.
"I apologise for her, if it was earlier told that she would speak to the media. Now she has been asked not to do so," said Prithviraj to reporters at the venue where the film puja was held and the actress was also present, but did not come out in the open.
Additional Director General of Police B Sandhya told the media that in the best interest of the case, it is best that she reveals everything to the court and not to the media.
In the evening, the actress reached the Aluva jail for the identification parade.