Former Kerala DGP mocks Padma Bhushan awardee scientist

Thiruvananthapuram, January 26 

A day after the government announced Padma Bhushan for former ISRO scientist S. Nambi Narayanan, T.P. Senkumar, a former state police chief who was tipped to probe spy charges involving Narayanan, slammed the decision, saying the award came at a time when a Supreme Court committee was looking into the ISRO spy case.

"If this is the yardstick for a Padma award, then people like Govinda Chami, Ameerul Islam (both accused in the killing of two women) and Mariam Rasheeda (an accused along with Narayanan in the ISRO spy case), would get a Padma award next year. The government should have waited," said Senkumar.

"Narayanan is a below average scientist... ask any ISRO scientist who is still working there about his contributions," said Senkumar.

The ISRO spy case surfaced in 1994 when Narayanan along with another top official of ISRO, two Maldivian women and a businessman was arrested on espionage charges.

The CBI cleared Narayanan in 1995 and since then he has been fighting a legal battle against Siby Mathews, the then Inspector General of Police who had probed the case, and two other police officers.

Last year, the Supreme Court directed the Kerala government to give him compensation of Rs 50 lakh for his travails.

Senkumar was asked by the then E.K. Nayanar government (1996-2001) to relook into the ISRO spy case, but it failed to materialise as by then, the apex court had cleared Narayanan.

Responding to Senkumar's, remarks, Narayanan said in his petition for compensation, Senkumar was named as one of the parties.

"What Senkumar said today is immaterial and irrelevant and does not require to be answered. What he has said is probably because he wants to mislead the Supreme Court. I do not know if he has an agenda. He is speaking foolish things," said Narayanan.

Senkumar was removed as the state police chief, the day current Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan assumed office in may 2016. After a long-drawn court battle, the Supreme Court directed that he be reinstated in May 2017. He retired from service in June 2017.

Since then political grapevine has it that he might be contesting the upcoming Lok Sabha polls as a candidate of ABDJS, a BJP ally.

Joining the issue, state Culture Minister A.K. Balan said Senkumar's remarks were unacceptable. "State BJP chief P.S. Sreedharan Pillai should respond to such statements by Senkumar," said Balan. — IANS