Mann's family losing hope for CBI probe

The family and friends of Satnam Singh Mann, who died under mysterious circumstances in Kerala in 2012, have lost hope for a CBI probe into his death. Mann was charged with attacking a spiritual leader in Kollam.

Mann, from Bihar's Gaya district was brought dead to the medical college hospital in Thiruvananthapuram Aug 4, 2012 from a mental hospital after he was arrested at Kollam in Kerala Aug 1.

Mann was handed over to police in Kollam after he had objected to the presence of foreigners around spiritual leader Mata Amritanandamayi and also raised objections to certain parts of her speech, his family said.

"It is over 10 months that we have been demanding for a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe. Even Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy assured us last February but nothing happened so far," Harender Singh, father of Mann said here Tuesday.

Mann's grandfather Babu Kishore Singh, said his family was dejected now. "We are now looking to God for justice," he said.

Harender Singh told IANS that he was hopeful for a CBI probe into the case after he personally met the Kerala chief minister in February.

"More than three months have gone since I requested him to hand over the case to the CBI for justice to us. But till date, no action has been initiated in this regard," he said.

"We only wanted justice. Nothing more. But Kerala government is hiding something and fears handing over the case to CBI," he said.

Mann's friends Pallav Kumar and Vikrant said it was sad that the Kerala government was yet to recommend a CBI probe into his death case.

Singh said neither he nor his family was satisfied by the Kerala government's decision to order a Crime Branch probe into the death.

"We strongly suspect that my grandson was brutally tortured in jail. It's a case for the CBI," he said.

Mann, a law student in Lucknow, was arrested when he created disturbances at spiritual leader Mata Amritanandamayi's ashram near Kollam last week. He was charged with trying to attack the spiritual leader.