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Curious turn to Suryanelli case probe

By Our Staff Reporter

KOTTAYAM AUG. 7. In what appears to be a controversial step, the CBI team that investigated the Sr. Abhaya murder case has asked the victim of the Suryanelli sex scandal to appear for a polygraph test.

The conduct of the new CBI team, which has interrogated the Suryanelli victim consecutively for two days here, has already drawn severe criticism.

The latest investigation into the Abhaya case was prompted by a High Court directive in regard. The developments had a curious beginning. A so-called social organisation 'Aikya Vedi' based at Pala received a letter from a woman saying that she had some new revelations to make in the Abhaya case. The organisation then approached the High Court with the prayer that the new revelations, submitted to the Court in a sealed cover, be considered in the investigation of the Abhaya case. Their prayer was upheld by the court and the sealed cover was handed over to the CBI for investigation.

The story took a new turn at this juncture. The woman who has written about her revelations in the Abhaya case was none other but Ms. Mary, the 38th accused in the Suryanelli sex scandal. She was convicted by the special court and was sentenced to eight years imprisonment and fine. At present, she is on bail.

According to sources close to the victim of the Suryanelli scandal, on Saturday the seven-member CBI team under an SP took the girl to a Guest House at Puthuppally and started interrogation. There were no women in the team. Most of the questions, however, did not pertain to the Abhaya case, but the Suryanelli case.

Later one more "interrogator' joined the team - none other than the convict in the Suryanelli case, who also happens to be the complainant in the Abhaya case. In other words, the CBI let loose a convict to interrogate her victim, which according to legal experts, is a blatant breach of human rights. The drama was repeated on Sunday, but the complainant was not present. However, the girl's father was threatened with `dire consequences' and was asked not to move out of the town without the knowledge of the CBI team.

The most intriguing aspect of the `interrogation' was that the CBI has asked the girl to appear for a `polygraph test'. It is pointed out that it was the accused who are normally taken for polygraph tests and not witnesses. Is the CBI pointing the accusing finger on the hapless victim of the Suryanelli sex scandal (who was a Std. X standard student at the time of Abhaya's murder) as a possible murderer?

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