The Centre on Tuesday informed the Lok Sabha that the Kerala government has not made any request to it for a probe into the killing of Marad tribals last year.
Home Minister Shivraj Patil stated this when Left party members including PK Vasudevan Nair wanted to know during Question Hour whether CBI had conducted any inquiry into the killings and the tribals were being harassed.
The Minister said he would ask the concerned Personnel Ministry, which has CBI under its jurisdiction, to go into it.
He said CBI officials "do not go anywhere unless asked" by the government and said the state government had ordered a judicial inquiry into it. "If the state government comes to a conclusion (that a CBI probe was required), then a request has to be made".
Patil said 141 persons were arrested, of whom over 130 were in jail in connection with the killings. Peace committees have been constituted and compensation of Rs 10 lakhs given to the next of kin of those killed.
The left members were complaining, quoting media reports, that the CBI sleuths were "harassing" the poor tribals in the name of inquiry.
{{/usCountry}}The left members were complaining, quoting media reports, that the CBI sleuths were "harassing" the poor tribals in the name of inquiry.
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