Suryanelli: Bad news for PJ Kurien; cops nab main convict

Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 15: In a major breakthrough Kerala Police has finally managed to nab main convict of

gang-

case SS Dharmarajan on Friday, Feb 15. Media reports suggest that Dharmarajan, who was absconding since 2005 has been arrested from an undisclosed location in Karnataka.

Police sources say he will now be taken to Kottayam for questioning.

Recently, Dharmarajan, who was a lawyer told a Malayalam news channel regarding the involvement of Deputy Chairperson of Rajya Sabha PJ Kurien in the infamous gang-rape episode.

In the interview Dharmarajan revealed that in 1996, he drove Kurien to a guest-house where the gang-rape survivor was kept in captivity.

In 1996, a group of around 40 men raped a 16-year-old school-going girl for 40 days. The victim, who is now 33 years of age, says that Kurien was also involved in raping her.

Dharmarajan's revelation is significant because he was the third accused in the sensational case and a division bench of the Kerala High Court had held him guilty of procuring a minor girl and selling her for purposes of prostitution.

Though the trial court awarded rigorous imprisonment to as many as 35 accused, the High Court acquitted all but one of them in Jan 2005. Even Dharmarajan's sentence was reduced to just five years.

However, the advocate jumped parole and police have been searching for him since then. In fact, news channel contacted Dharmarajan while he was in Karnataka. He gave the interview from his hideout in Mysore and promised to surrender before the Kerala Police within two days.

Opposition parties in the state have been staging protests for the past few days, demanding Kurien's resignation in view of the serious allegations levelled by the victim against him.

Now with the advocate making things more difficult for Kurien, it looks like the Congress high command will have to decide soon if he should be allowed to continue in the high post especially when the anti-rape bill is slated to come up for discussion in the Rajya Sabha during the Budget Session of Parliament.

OneIndia News