‘Crime never dies’: Chennithala says Kerala probe into Gyanesh Kumar will proceed

• Kerala Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala told the Assembly that a Vigilance inquiry into allegations linked to Gyanesh Kumar’s tenure as PWD secretary was progressing

• The investigation will examine whether external pressure affected an earlier inquiry into matters surrounding the Kerala State Transport Project

• The allegations concern events from 2006; the government said findings would be released once the investigation was complete

Kerala home minister Ramesh Chennithala told the state assembly on Wednesday that the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau was pursuing an inquiry into allegations linked to chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s tenure as Kerala’s Public Works Department secretary two decades ago.

Saying that “a crime never dies”, Chennithala said the investigation would take time because it covered several incidents. All aspects would be examined, and the findings would be made public after the inquiry concluded, he added.

The minister was responding to a submission by Indian Union Muslim League legislator A.K.M. Ashraf concerning the fresh inquiry ordered on 4 October following a petition by Congress leader Malayinkeezhu Venugopal.

Investigators will examine claims that external pressure disrupted a preliminary Vigilance inquiry conducted in 2006. The Home Department has sought records of those proceedings to establish how the inquiry was handled and whether outside influence affected its course.

The matter relates to the Kerala State Transport Project and the death of Malaysian civil engineer Lee See Been, who died by suicide in Kuala Lumpur in November 2006 after returning from Kerala.

Lee was associated with the PATI-BEL consortium, which had been awarded work to upgrade MC Road under the project. A purported suicide note attributed to him reportedly named Kumar, who was serving as PWD secretary at the time.

The allegations concern possible irregularities in the road project and the handling of the initial inquiry. The reported reference to Kumar in the purported note does not, by itself, establish wrongdoing.

Chennithala had last week instructed the Vigilance Director to investigate the alleged interference thoroughly and take appropriate action based on the findings. He said the claims of outside influence warranted detailed scrutiny.

The renewed investigation comes amid the Congress leadership’s criticism of Kumar over separate electoral controversies. The Kerala inquiry concerns his earlier role as a state government official.

Its findings are expected to establish whether the original proceedings were compromised and whether further action is justified.

With IANS inputs