Keralam’s former Minister Muneer seeks comprehensive probe into Malaysian engineer’s death in 2006

Former Minister for Public Works in Keralam and senior Indian Union Muslim League leader M.K. Muneer has sought a comprehensive probe into the circumstances leading to the reported death by suicide of Lee See Been, the project engineer of a Indo-Malaysian joint venture involved in the World Bank-aided development of MC Road from Angamaly to Thiruvananthapuram, in November 2006.

Gyanesh Kumar, the current Chief Election Commissioner, was the Secretary, Public Works, when the incident happened. Mr. Muneer, who held the Public Works portfolio between 2001 and 2006, told the media here on Sunday (October 4, 2026) that no proper inquiry had been conducted into the death of engineer Been so far. Though there were reports about a note, it lacked clarity. Mr. Muneer’s term as Minister ended in early 2006.

Mr. Muneer said that though the Left Democratic Front government, which came to power thereafter, had conducted an inquiry by the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau into the alleged irregularities related to the road works under the Kerala State Transport Project, Mr. Kumar was exonerated by the court. Mr. Kumar was later transferred to New Delhi.

Mr. Muneer’s remarks come close on the heels of the United Democratic Front government seeking a preliminary inquiry into the accusation that the alleged efforts to extort bribes from PATI-BEL consortium, the Indo-Malayasian construction firm involved in the project, had caused inordinate delays and cost escalations. This allegedly resulted in significant losses to the exchequer and also the death by suicide of Been.

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