Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan suffered a major setback on Monday as a person close to him was sentenced to undergo life imprisonment along with seven others by a court in Thalassery in connection with the gruesome murder of a former CPI(M) worker in 2005.
Manoraj Narayanan, brother of P M Manoj, the powerful media advisor to Pinarayi Vijayan and seven others were directly and physically involved in the murder. Manoj and family are close to the chief minister and his family.
The victim Sooraj had left the CPI(M) on his own and was planning to join the BJP when the murderers struck. In the CPI(M) in Kerala, members are not permitted to quit the party. The party leadership usually expels or order the execution of the troublemaker. What stands out in this particular case is the link between Manoraj Narayanan, a district level leader of the CPI(M) and the CMO.
He is considered as the leader of the army of executioners who are maintained by the party to annihilate persons causing headache to the leadership.
Sooraj was murdered in broad daylight by the gang led by Manoraj and this led to many persons giving eyewitness account to the dourt during the trial. The CMO in Kerala has been in the news on many issues in the past like gold smuggling through diplomatic channel, Life Mission ( a flagship programme providing houses to those without roofs over their heads) and receiving monthly hafta from mining barons.
Two of the accused in Sooraj murder case died while the 11th accused was sentenced to three years imprisonment. M V Jayarajan, Kannur district secretary of the CPI(M) told reporters that Monday’s verdict was an aberration of justice and the party would go to any extent to fight for the “dear comrades”.
