The Women in Cinema Collective (WCC) has expressed apprehension at the shifting of Additional Director General of Police, Crime Branch, S. Sreejith from the post at a time when the further investigation in the 2017 actor abduction case, in which actor Dileep in an accused, is drawing to a conclusion. In a statement on Sunday, the WCC said that the major reshuffle at the top of the police force could derail the investigation.
“The move to transfer the head of the investigation at a time when the court has given one-and-a-half months more for the investigation is as disappointing as the anti-climax scenes in police films. In a departure from a point from which no justice seemed possible in the case, a series of breakthrough revelations had come out in the case in recent times. These revelations proved our colleague’s complaint that the accused’s advocates have been attempting to derail the case. The accused’s advocates had approached the government with a complaint against the officer and the transfer happened at a time when the investigation seemed to be moving towards them,” said the WCC in the statement.
To head probe
The WCC appealed to the civil society of the State to be vigilant against attempts to derail the high-profile case. The State government had on Friday issued the order to transfer Mr. Sreejith to the post of Transport Commissioner. Additional Director General of Police, Prisons, Shaik Darvesh Sahib, is the new ADGP, Crime Branch. He will take over the probe from Mr. Sreejith.
The State police had accused actor Dileep of orchestrating the crime out of personal spite against the victim. Mr. Sreejith had also headed a second investigation against Dileep pertaining to the allegation that the actor had plotted to murder the officers who arraigned him as accused in the 2017 case.
