Sen Kumar says snooping started when Kodiyeri was minister

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala police started telephone tapping long ago, in fact when Kodiyeri Balakrishnan was the home minister, said former state police chief T P Senkumar on Friday.

Sen Kumar's statement is likely to cause some furore in the light of rumours that Kerala police was illegally tapping telephones of various persons, especially politicians It also assumes further dimensions in the wake of the recent Central Govt executive order allowing 10 agencies to interecept electronic communications including telephone calls.

“Telephone tapping started when Kodiyeri Balakrishnan was the home minister. Jacob Punnoose was the DGP then,” he added. He was speaking at a meeting of people from other political parties who recently joined BJP, were in attendance. He alleged that he was forced to reveal the same as there were attempts to drag his name over the phone-tapping issue. He said though snooping takes place every where, in fact it is much less in Kerala.

Senkumar said he had only two memberships, the residents’ association and SNDP unit. “Rumours are being manufactured at some centres claiming that I have joined RSS. Critics are referring to my participating in Seva Bharati programmes. I will be part of their selfless humanitarian activities. I don’t think I can fit into the discipline of political parties,” he said. He said that he had earlier taken part in meetings called by DYFI and Jama'at-e-Islami, but then there were no controversies and cannot understand why there is controversy now.

BJP state president P S Sreedharan Pillai said that Senkumar attended the programme as a well-wisher of his party. Senkumar said Narendra Modi should be reelected not only in 2019, but also in 2024 so that poverty is wiped out in India. “I am a staunch believer of Sanathana dharma. I will stand by devotees forever,” he said.