BishopAccountability.org
	Augustine’s Death Will Not Affect Case Express Buzz November 26, 2008 http://www.expressbuzz.com/edition/print.aspx?artid=h3FB1F6P6N4= THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: “He is only a small fish. His death is a setback to the inquiry but it is not going to affect the case anyway,” said a senior CBI official. He was commenting on the death of former ASI Augustine. Augustine’s death turned out to be a rude shock to the CBI team which is inquiring into the Sister Abhaya murder case. According to the CBI, Augustine had played a cruicial role in manipulating the inquiry into the case from day one. The CBI teams had identified several mismatches in the inquest report prepared by then Kottayam West police station ASI Augustine. The time of inquest, the contradiction over the dress worn by Abhaya and the injuries on her body can be cited as perfect examples for the tampered inquest report. “But, he was acting to the tune of some of his superiors. There was a plot in which Augustine was also a part. But, his elimination doesn’t close all doors of hope,” said another CBI officer, who had inquired the case earlier. The team led by SP R.M. Krishna had decided to subject Augustine to narcoanalysis test. But, the septuagenarian could not stand the pressures of narco test, said medical experts. Hence, the team decided to exempt Augustine from the case. He had cooperated with all CBI teams which probed the case. He answered all queries without hesitation. “He never revealed any shocking information. ‘What I did was according to rules’ was his sole contention,” said the officer. In the present circumstances, the role of Augustine had become crucial. Based on the evidences gathered by the new CBI team, Augustine is learnt to have been cornered by the inquirers. He would have been chargesheeted in the case if he hadn’t been willing to be turned an approver.
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.