The Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) has called for an expanded investigation into the Tanur Boat Tragedy, with focus on state minister V Abdurahiman’s involvement. It has been 50 days since the incident, which claimed the lives of 22 people, including 15 children, when a recreational boat capsized at Thooval Theeram, Ottumpuram in Tanur.
According to the IUML, Minister Abdurahiman, along with local CPM leader Anilkumar, allegedly aided P Nassar, the owner of the ill-fated boat ‘Atlantic’, in obtaining the necessary permits to operate the vessel. The opposition party accuses the Special Investigation Team (SIT) responsible for probing the tragedy of protecting those who influenced officials to grant favorable decisions regarding Nassar’s application to start the tourism boat service.
M P Ashraf, president of the IUML Tanur assembly committee, stated, “We have reliable information that Sebastian Joseph, the Chief Surveyor responsible for safety, rejected the boat’s fitness application four times. We need to understand how he was coerced into violating the law and granting permission for the service later on.” The IUML further demands a thorough investigation into the individuals who contacted port officials to bypass procedural requirements for the boat service.
Ashraf continued, “We strongly urge the police to examine the call history of port officials, ministers V Abdurahiman (Minister for Minority Welfare), Ahammad Devarkovil (Minister for Ports), their staff, and local CPM leaders in the region. This call history could unveil the names of those who assisted Nassar in obtaining permission and ultimately identify those responsible for the tragedy.”
Meanwhile, the CPM has refuted all allegations made against the minister and local party leaders. E Jayan, a member of the Malappuram district secretariat and former Local Secretary from Tanur, criticized the IUML leadership for their unfounded claims. Jayan remarked, “The state leadership of IUML has no intention to protest against the minister. The state president of the party has appeared alongside V Abdurahiman, despite the boycott by IUML local leaders in Tanur. These allegations are baseless. The IUML is panicking and senseless in Tanur due to their consecutive election losses to V Abdurahiman. They are even using this tragedy for their own political gain. The CPM has no vested interest in the case and hopes that all those responsible for the tragedy will be held accountable through legal proceedings.”
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