Tanur tragedy: IUML claims minister Abdurahiman helped boat owner get permit, demands probe

The Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) has demanded extending the investigation into the Tanur Boat Tragedy to state minister V Abdurahiman.

By Monday, 50 days will have passed since the capsizing of a recreational boat at Thooval Theeram, Ottumpuram at Tanur killing 22, including 15 children.

The IUML has alleged that Minister Abdurahiman and local CPM leader Anilkumar helped P Nassar, the owner of the ill-fated boat 'Atlantic', to get permission to operate the vessel.

The opposition party has alleged that the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the tragedy is trying to protect those who influenced the officials to take a favourable decision on the application of Nassar to start the tourism boat service.

IUML Tanur assembly committee president M P Ashraf said: “Sebastian Joseph, the Chief Surveyor, who is responsible for the safety, had rejected the application to give fitness to the boat four times. We have got this information from reliable sources and we would like to know how he was forced to violate the law and grant permission for the service later.

"The police are not willing to investigate those who contacted the port officials to bypass the procedures to permit the service of the boat.

“We strongly suggest the police check all the call history of the port officials, ministers V Abdurahiman (Minister for Minority Welfare), Ahammad Devarkovil (Minister for Ports) and their staff and the local CPM leaders in the region. The call history would reveal the names of those who helped Nassar to get permission and eventually those responsible for the tragedy."

Meanwhile, the CPM has denied all the allegations levelled against the minister and its local leaders. E Jayan, Malappuram district secretariat member and former Local Secretary from Tanur criticised the local IUML leadership for their baseless allegations.

“The state leadership of IUML has no intention to protest against the minister in the issues. Pannakkad Sayid Sadiqali Shihab Thangal, the state president of the party, has himself come up to share a venue with V Abdurahiman amid the boycott of IUML local leaders from Tanur. A boycott campaign, which they expected to get state-level support from the party, now narrowed to the municipal committee level. They are having baseless allegations. IUML has terrified and out of sense in Tanur as they lost two consecutive elections to V Abdurahiman. They even use a tragedy to convert it into their political gain. CPM has no special interest in the case and we wish everyone behind the tragedy would be brought to legal procedures”, E Jayan said.

“We are on the right track. We cannot reveal the details at present as it will affect the inquiry. The SIT would submit its charge-sheet on time,” V V Benny, Tanur DySP, told Onmanorama.