Kerala’s suspended top cop served arrest warrant

ALAPPUZHA - Suspended Inspector General of Police Tomin J.Thachenkery was Friday served an arrest warrant and his bail was cancelled for allegedly falsely implicating a man. He is also being probed for meeting people with suspected terror links in Qatar.

Thachenkery, who is being probed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), was granted bail in a case filed by Prakashan, a man who alleged that he was falsely implicated in a case by Thachenkery when he was the Alappuzha assistant superintendent of police in 1991.

Prakashan’s ordeal began when his neighbour Suja hanged herself and he took her to a hospital. But as the case investigation progressed, Thachenkery made Prakashan an accused, and he was allegedly manhandled by seven other police officials.

Later, Prakashan was acquitted by the court and it was concluded that Suja had committed suicide.

Prakashan later moved the court, alleging that he was victimised by Thachenkery.

Thachenkery failed to appear in the court Friday in connection with this case. The magistrate was told that Thachenkery did not come for the trial as he was unwell. Irked at this, the magistrate cancelled his bail and issued an arrest warrant.

In August, the Kerala High Court did not stay the decision of the full bench of the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) that upheld his suspension for violating service rules.

Thachenkery was suspended in April after Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan was told that he did not take permission for his trip to the Middle East.

Thachenkery got a rude jolt last month when the state government informed the CAT that the officer could not be taken back into service since the probe by the NIA against him might be thwarted.

Union Home Secretary G.K. Pillai had said the decision for a NIA probe was taken following a demand by the state government and a report by the Indian embassy in Qatar about the officer’s meeting with people in Doha who have terror cases pending against them in Kerala.

The union home ministry had written to the Kerala chief secretary June 24 to initiate action against Thachenkery for going on the trip without official clearance.