Thiruvananthapuram: Former ISRO scientist Nambi Narayanan said on Wednesday that he had kept a pair of chappals ready in his home to slap the policemen-Intelligence Bureau officials, who had beaten him in police custody.  

“When I was suffering in pain from the custodial torture, I cried and told them that they were doing it to a man who had done nothing illegal. The IB men then told me if they would come to know that I’m innocent, they would come to my house and I can slap their face with chappals. Today, I’m completely acquitted. None of the IB men came to my house. If they come, I have kept slippers ready to slap them,” Nambi Narayanan said at a press conference in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.  

“Then and now, police and IB knew very well that ISRO espionage case was a forged one. That is why the investigation team headed by Sibi Mathew wanted to meet me and persuaded Soorya Krishna Moorthy to make arrangements for the meeting. Otherwise, will Sibi Mathew have come forward to inquire about my wellness?” he quipped.

“At least for now, people should know the truth behind this intention. Russia was ready to handover modern Cryogenic rocket technology to India. As its director, I was the person, who signed the deal for this. That is the truth. America had come out against this and India wanted to procure it at any cost. It was after this that Sibi Mathew’s team cooked up the case. They should now reveal the intention behind that. And, if they don’t, I hope that the Supreme Court-appointed committee would find this out,” he said.