Modi's remark on murder case unfortunate: Kerala minister

Kerala Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala on Friday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi's remark on the Jisha murder case was "unfortunate".

Addressing a National Democratic Alliance rally at Palakkad, Modi said the state government had failed to move forward in the Jisha murder case even after over a week.

It was "most unfortunate that a person like the country's prime minister was playing politics" in this case, Chennithala told reporters in Idukki.

"Even the Kerala high court on Friday expressed satisfaction over the case's investigation. The prime minister should not have stooped this low," said Chennithala.

The high court, while hearing a petition for a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into Jisha's murder said it's not possible to intervene in the case at this stage since the police probe is on, but cautioned the police not to get caught in the media trial.

Jisha, 27, was suspected to have been sexually assaulted before her murder. Her mutilated body was found by her mother on April 28 near a canal here.

Chief Minister Oommen Chandy also said his government is fully satisfied with the ongoing probe.

Additional Director General of Police K. Padmakumar, who is leading the team probing the case, told reporters that leads in the case made it appear as a "planned murder".

After questioning around a dozen people, police have now focused on migrant labourers, three of whom are in custody. Police are on the lookout for a fourth one.

Police on Friday also conducted raids at a few migrant labour camps in and around Perambavoor.

Meanwhile, union Home Minister Rajnath Singh told an election rally in Kollam on Friday that the Centre will go for a CBI probe if the state government made a request.

--IANS

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