Govt announces assistance to families of sex scandal victims

Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 2 (UNI) A day after Kerala Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan wrote to Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil for a high-level CBI inquiry into the Kiliroor and Kaviyoor sex scandal cases, the State Government today announced financial assistance to the families of the victims in the two sensational cases.

Briefing newspersons here after a meeting of the state Cabinet, the Chief Minister announced a compensation of Rs two lakh for the family to look after the child of Shari, the victim in the Kiliroor case, who died allegedly under suspicious circumstance while undergoing treatment at a hospital.

In the Kaviyoor sex scandal case, Savithiri Antharjanam, mother of Narayanan Namboodiri, who committed suicide along with his wife Sobhana, daughter Anagha (15), Akhila (13) and his son Ajay (6) in September 2004 following the scandal, would be given an assistance of Rs one lakh.

Both the cases hit the headlines during the tenure of the previous United Democratic Front government due to the alleged involvement of certain influential people in the case.

Mr Achuthanandan, the then Leader of the Opposition, was in the forefront of a campaign demanding action to bring the culprits before the law.

UNI CR ROY AKJ RN1420