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Home  » News » Sitting judge to probe Marad violence

Sitting judge to probe Marad violence

By George Iype in Kochi
May 21, 2003 16:44 IST
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Nearly three weeks after nine people were killed in communal violence in Marad village of Kozhikode district, Chief Minister A K Antony on Wednesday decided to seek the services of a sitting judge of the Kerala high court to inquire into the incident.

The judge will form an enquiry commission, the terms of which will be framed soon, he said after a Cabinet meeting.

The commission will also probe how parts of northern Kerala have become fertile grounds for producing country-made bombs and weapons, according to officials.

Antony is taking stern measures to ensure that Marad-like incidents do not occur.

He has ordered the police to file charge sheets in all the 182 cases of communal clashes that have occurred in Kerala since 1992.

The police have also arrested nearly 100 people in connection with the Marad violence.

The government recently took over a mosque in Marad after a large number of weapons were found there.

Meanwhile, the Kerala police, in collaboration with the Mumbai police, have started investigating reports that the Lashkar-e-Tayiba is planning to carry out bomb blasts in Kerala.

Last week, Mumbai Police Commissioner Ranjit Singh Sharma had disclosed that such a Lashkar plan had been foiled.

Chief Minister Antony has already sought a report on the tip-off from the Maharashtra police.

In view of the sensitive nature of the Kerala coast, which is said to be prone to militant activities, the government has also requested the Centre to help the state constitute a marine police wing.

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George Iype in Kochi