Kerala Government on Saturday decided to hand over to CBI the probe into the mysterious death of actor Kalabhavan Mani on March 6 this year.
The decision in this regard was taken by the government within a week of the actor’s family meeting Chief Minister, Pinarayi Vijayan, seeking a CBI probe into Mani’s death, official sources said.
Ramakrishnan, Mani’s younger brother, who had met the Chief Minister to press for a CBI probe into the actor’s death, had said the family was not satisfied with the probe being carried out by the state police. The 45-year-old actor, who had essayed various roles in south Indian films, was found in a serious condition at his farmhouse at Chalakudy and though he was rushed to hospital, his life could not be saved.
While a lab at Kochi had found traces of chlorpyrifos, a toxic pesticide in his viscera sample, a Hyderabad lab had recently stated that traces of methyl alcohol were found in his blood.
Mani was undergoing treatment for a liver ailment at Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, where he breathed his last.