The population may be sceptical about possible state interference in the police enquiry into the Deelchand affair, particularly regarding Dev Hurnam. The brief protest that the MMM secretary general and MP, Ivan Collendavelloo, let slip during the recent MMM gathering has been enough to cast doubts in people?s minds.

?Do not bully the guy!? This phrase inevitably sounds like a threat to the judicial system from an MMM member aiming to protect one of his MPs. An allusion so serious that one of the authorities of the judiciary, Senior Puisne Judge Bernard Sik Yuen himself, has deemed it fit to break through his reserve and declared in an interview to l?express: ?If this is not a way to try and intimidate a Court of justice, it surely looks like it. This is really in bad taste.?

This declaration may lead to people being convinced that the judiciary is submitted to some lobbies or at least intimidations from the government as soon as one of its members is confronted with justice. And they might take it as confirmation that Dev Hurnam has spent only some 2 days in jail. He has managed to go from one hospital to another without really being disturbed by the police.

Actually, the police may not want to take the risk of remanding him to police cell since it will be have to bear the total responsibility if anything happens to him. And that surely makes things easier for Dev Hurnam. It is true that he has a medical certificate from a State doctor that allows him to stay in hospital. But what looks quite odd is that he moves from one clinic to another without any explanation. His own doctor has only recommended that he be regularly examined but he he did not say he had to stay in hospital. Finally, Dev Hurnam is closer to liberty than to imprisonment.

As for Ivan Collendavelloo, he asserts that what he said reflects his own opinion, although ?many lawyers think that the Director of public prosecutions was very hard towards Dev Hurnam,? according to the MMM secretary general. He explains that it was the same for Choonee and that finally there was no evidence against him.

Ivan Collendavelloo seems, however, to forget two major facts. On the one hand, although Dev Hurnam is presumed innocent until he is proved guilty, he has not been cleared of the accusations yet. On the other hand, Ivan Collendavelloo expressed himself on a public platform during one of his party?s gathering. As a result, it looks obvious that people considered that he was talking on behalf of the MMM, or even the government. In any case, it was not a responsible action from a government MP and party official.