Oppn leader urges Kerala Governor to summon CM over fire incident, which could have destroyed evidence

Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], August 26 : Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala wrote to Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan on Wednesday, urging him to summon Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan over the fire incident at the Secretariat which could have destroyed evidence in the gold smuggling case.
Chennithala said the circumstances governing the fire and destruction of the documentation in the most critical sections likely to hold evidence to wrongdoing point to well-crafted conspiracy to derail the well-grounded probe against the key accused and involving the Chief Ministers office.
On Tuesday, Chennithala met Governor over the incident of fire at Kerala Secretariat and demanded an independent probe into the incident. Later he wrote a letter to the Governor.
In a letter dated August 26, the opposition leader said, "I appeal to the Governor in the exercise of his constitutional powers to summon and direct the Chief Minister to submit all the documents and evidence called by the investigating agencies.
Chennithala urged the Governor to direct the Chief Minister to submit all the documents and evidence called for by the investigating agencies as provided in Rule 36 (a) of the Business rules and ensure their safe transmission within a short reasonable time frame, stated the letter.
"As the Chief Secretary is responsible for the protocol function of state government I seek a due explanation why several criminally liable actions have been taken in absence of the Governor's knowledge and without the approval of the Council of Ministers in such matters as external assistance availed for the LIFE Mission, encroaching upon the Union Governments terrain," said Chennithala in his letter.
Chennithala further asked the Governor to direct the state government to ensure due fire protection and physical security to the critical offices, which may be ensured by deploying a suitable central para-military force in consultation with the investigating agencies.
"The Chief Secretary should be directed to make available in the public domain all the details, including file numbers of the destructed files, otherwise the criminal minds may use this as an opportunity to smuggle other files and use this as an alibi before the investigating agencies for not producing the crucial files," Chennithala said.
According to the letter, on August 25, around 4.30 pm, a fire broke out in the relevant sections of the GAD Protocol department destroying a considerable number of documents including relevant papers. This fire has occurred in an office closed due to the reported illness and quarantine of staff.
Attempted destruction of the papers required in evidence by NIA is a punishable offence, Chennithala added.
Earlier on Tuesday, BJP and Congress held a protest outside Kerala Secretariat and demanded a high-level probe into the fire incident in the protocol office and alleged that it is a conspiracy to destroy evidence in the gold smuggling case.