Keralam Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala has ordered a Vigilance probe into alleged corruption in a Kerala State Transport Project (KSTP) road work and the 2006 death of a Malaysian contractor associated with the project when incumbent Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar was serving as the state’s PWD Secretary.The move comes amid mounting Opposition protests and demands for Kumar’s resignation over the Election Commission’s special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls across the country.Chennithala ordered the probe after KPCC leader Malayinkeezhu Venugopal submitted a complaint on Saturday, seeking an investigation into Kumar’s alleged role in the matter.Sources said the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau had been asked to conduct a preliminary inquiry before any further action was considered.The case relates to the death by suicide of Malaysian civil engineer Lee See Been, who was associated with the PATI-BEL consortium involved in the upgrade of the MC road under the KSTP. Kumar was serving in the Public Works Department at the time.Talking to the media, Chennithala said he had forwarded a petition alleging malpractices and corruption involving incumbent Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar during his tenure as the state’s PWD Secretary to the Vigilance Director for a detailed inquiry.Chennithala said the petition, submitted by Congress activist Malayinkeezhu Venugopal, raised “serious issues” concerning Kumar’s tenure in the PWD.The minister also referred to the death of Malaysian project engineer Lee, saying the engineer had allegedly died by suicide and that his suicide note mentioned Kumar, who was serving as the PWD Secretary at the time.“The government cannot sit idle. I cannot become a mute spectator,” Chennithala said, adding that he had directed the Vigilance Director to examine the allegations in detail and take legal action, if warranted, to ensure justice.Rejecting allegations that the move was politically motivated, Chennithala said the matter was separate from the Congress-led Opposition’s ongoing protests against Kumar over the SIR exercise.A Vigilance inquiry had been ordered following Been’s death in 2006. However, the investigation did not progress further and Kumar subsequently moved to the Defence Ministry on deputation.The KSTP project, funded by World Bank, involved an investment of around Rs 215 crore for reconstruction of the MC road from Angamaly to Thiruvananthapuram. PATI-BEL, a joint venture between a Malaysian firm and Bhageeratha Engineering, was associated with the project.The fresh probe adds to the political pressure on Kumar, with the Opposition stepping up their campaign against him over the functioning of the Election Commission and the SIR exercise.