"The CBI is torturing and forcing the arrested persons to give statements against me," the former Union Telecom Minister alleged.

Former Union Telecom Minister Dayanidhi Maran on Thursday accused the CBI of trying to fix him in the BSNL exchange case. Alleging that the agency was torturing three persons arrested on Wednesday to get false statements against him, he claimed that an RSS person from Tamil Nadu was influencing the country’s premier investigation agency.

Speaking to reporters after meeting DMK leader M. Karunanidhi, Mr Maran said the CBI was subjecting the three arrested persons, including his former Additional Private Secretary, V. Gowthaman, to third degree methods.

“CBI should be fact finding bureau not a fixing bureau ”

“The irony of the issue is they have been ill-treated and the CBI is forcing them to give a false statement stating that there was a link between Sun TV and my residence which is absolutely wrong. They were promised that if they give a statement that would favour the CBI, they will be let go,” Mr. Maran claimed

Mr. Maran also said that an “intellectual” from Tamil Nadu wanted to fix the DMK. “An intellectual from Tamil Nadu wants to fix the DMK. He was doing this during the UPA regime and it is now continued by another intellectual. All this was done to satisfy and please some RSS leader,” he noted.

This investigation has been going on for 8 yrs. after 8 years, they are trying to fix the case, Dayanidhi Maran says >@the_hindu >@TheHindu — sangeetha kandavel (@sang1983) >January 22, 2015

'CBI acting as state agency'

“The CBI is acting like a state government machinery…People trust CBI to be a fact-finding bureau not a fixing bureau,” the former Union Telecom Minister said. “I’m willing to prove myself in the court,” he added.

Mr. Maran said he would be writing a letter to the CBI Director on the issue. The family members of those arrested would petition the Human Rights Commission, he added.

Mr. Maran also alleged that an “intellectual” from Tamil Nadu wanted to fix the DMK. “An intellectual from Tamil Nadu wants to fix the DMK. He was doing this during the UPA regime and it is now continued by another intellectual. All this was done to satisfy and please some RSS leader,” he noted.

Mr. Maran has been facing allegations that he had a mini-telephone exchange set up at his Boat Club residence in the City to supply 323 telephone lines to the Sun Network offices, which is owned by his elder brother Kalanidhi Maran, at the taxpayer’s expense. Additionally, there were further allegations that Sun Network has misused these telephone lines though BSNL had picked up the tab. The probe in this issue began in 2011.