A Kerala RSS worker's arm was chopped off by a gang, allegedly led by a man with a criminal record
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has called an all-party meet next week after a brutal attack on an RSS worker, whose arm was chopped off. He met leaders of the BJP and its ideological mentor, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) this morning. Rajesh Edavakode, 34, died in hospital on Saturday. The BJP has alleged that the attackers were linked to the ruling CPM. "Such attacks should not be happening. Strict action will be taken." Chief Minister Vijayan said, condemning the incident.
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Mr Edavakode was hacked to death by a gang, allegedly led by a man with a criminal record, on Saturday night. His left arm was chopped off and there were other severe injuries all over his body.
A murder case has been filed and eight men, including the suspected gang leader Manikandan, have been arrested. "All party meeting will be held in Thiruvananthapuram on August 6. The talks between the CPM, the BJP and the RSS will begin in Kannur, Thiruvananthapuram, Kottayam tomorrow," Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said.
The CPM has distanced itself from Manikandan, saying he is not a party worker. "The RSS worker's death was not a political murder. The victim and an accused had personal enmity and had police cases filed against each other in last two weeks," said CPM state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, accusing the BJP of "conspiring to turn it into a law and order issue."
The BJP's state spokesperson JR Padmakumar, however, said, "Manikandan has been seen on many occasions as part of CPM's youth wing programmes. The locals know this".
Kerala has, for years, witnessed political clashes and brutal attacks involving BJP-RSS and CPM workers, but there has been an upsurge in violence in and around the state capital in recent weeks.
Last week, after a CPM student wing flag was defaced outside a college on Thursday, the BJP state office in Thiruvananthapuram was vandalised. BJP supporters retaliated with an attack on the house of Bineesh Kodiyeri, Mr Balakrishnan's son.
Governor P Sathasivam had summoned Chief Minister Vijayan and police chief Loknath Behra for a briefing on Sunday and sought information on the RSS worker's death and other recent incidents of violence.
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh tweeted about the incident, saying "I expect that the political violence in Kerala is curbed and that the perpetrators are brought to justice expeditiously." He also called Mr Vijayan and expressed concern over the political violence.
Clashes between workers of the Left and the RSS-BJP have before this centred around Kannur, where 110 party activists have died since 1991, according to state crime records.
Kerala politics has been dominated by the Left and the Congress, with coalitions led by the two ruling the state by turns. The BJP and RSS are attempting to build their cadre in the state, with the BJP hoping to change its status of marginal player by the 2019 general elections. In state elections last year, won by the CPM-led LDF, the BJP had won a seat for the first time ever.
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