Political Violence Spirals In Kerala, Governor Calls For Peace, Centre Seeks Report

Thiruvananthapuram: In Kannur, a mother's tears have been flowing for two days. On Wednesday, her 19-year-old son, Remith, was murdered, allegedly by CPM activists. Ten kilometers away, a teenage boy's life is at a standstill. His mother has been admitted in hospital after her husband Mohanan K, a CPM local leader, was murdered, allegedly by BJP supporters on Monday.

The saga of political murders in Pinarayi, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's own constituency, has been on for years. Exactly 14 years ago, Remith's father, a worker of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, had been murdered.

But lately, after the CPM-led LDF's victory in the Kerala assembly elections, the violence has spiraled. Six political murders have taken place in Kannur since May.

As the BJP called for a state-wide bandh today, protesting against their activist's alleged 'retaliatory murder' by CPM, the Kerala Governor P Sathasivam appealed to the political parties to sort out difference amicably, rather than with violence.

The Ministry of Home Affairs has asked the state government for a report on Remith's murder.

Advertisement

During the protest outside the secretariat in state capital Thiruvananthapuram, around 500 km from Kannur, O Rajagopal, the BJP lawmaker in Kerala said, "The CPM has huge influence in pockets of Kannur. They will not allow anyone else's presence in that area. That's why they kill and the police are helpless."

CPM politburo member MA Baby denied the allegations. Speaking to NDTV, he said, "We have instructed our party cadres to be very cautious while reacting even in self-defense. This violence has to stop. But it's the RSS and the BJP who are attacking our cadre, murdering our men and unleashing violence."

Advertisement

In Kannur, police security has been tightened and additional manpower called in, even as extensive searches for explosives continue in various places.