Wayanad district crime branch to probe suicide case

KOZHIKODE: Wayanad district crime branch has been entrusted with the probe into the suicide of Harikumar, who first spotted the carcass of the tiger trapped in a wire snare at Ambukuthi on Feb 1.
Ambalavayal police had registered a case under CrPC 174 in connection with the death of Thovarimala-resident Harikumar (52), on Thursday. Wayanad district police chief R Anand said that district crime branch DySP will be the investigating officer.
The probe into the case was handed over to the district crime branch after Harikumar's family alleged that the mental pressure after being questioned by forest officials over the tiger's death led him to take the extreme step. But the forest department denied the allegations and said Harikumar was neither a suspect nor accused, but was just a mahassar witness.
Meanwhile Youth Congress activists took out a protest march to the office of south Wayanad divisional forest officer demanding action against the officials facing the allegations. The state forest department has also instituted a probe by the conservator of forests (vigilance) into the incident.