The police have taken three persons, allegedly activists of an Islamist outfit, into custody in the case pertaining to the brutal murder of RSS functionary K Vipin (26) at Tirur in Kerala’s Muslim-majority Malappuram district on Thursday even as BJP leaders, who termed the killing as a Taliban-like act, demanded an investigation by a Central agency into it.
A special investigation team of the police headed by Debesh Kumar Behera, Superintendent of Police, Malappuram, took the three persons into custody on Thursday night and one of them allegedly had direct involvement in Vipin’s murder. The police were hoping that the other two persons could lead them to those who had committed the murder, sources said.
The members of the special police team, who questioned the three persons throughout Friday at a secret facility, were yet to disclose their identities but reports said they were activists of an Islamist organisation which had extensive roots in Malappuram and in some other districts in the Malabar region.
Sources said that the police had received some crucial leads in the case and that the killers and conspirators would fall into their net soon. Tension prevailed in Tirur and adjoining areas on Friday also due to fears about eruption of communal trouble but police said the situation was under control. The area was brought under prohibitory orders on Thursday itself.
likening the brutality seen in the murder of Vipin to the savagery behind the acts of Taliban, BJP leaders said terrorists were behind the Tirur incident. State BJP general secretary AN Radhakrishnan alleged that there was an alliance between the Islamists and the CPI(M)-led lDF Government in the State and Vipin’s murder was a typical example of that.
Radhakrishnan also said that the alleged alliance between the communists and extremists would shatter the peace prevailing in the Kerala society. Alleging that Taliban courts were functioning in Malappuram, Sobha Surendran, another general secretary of the State BJP, said, “This youth (Vipin) was killed as per the decree of such a Taliban court.”
She demanded an investigation by a Central agency like the NIA into Vipin’s murder. If the State Government was not prepared to recommend such a probe, the party would approach the Union Home Ministry, BJP leaders said.
Vipin, Sharirik Shiksha Pramukh of the RSS in Thrippangode, his native place in Malappuram, and second accused in the case pertaining to the murder of P Faizal (30) of Kodinhi, originally a Hindu named Anil Kumar who had embraced Islam two years ago, in November last year, was hacked to death at on a roadside at Pulinchode, BP Bazar in Tirur on Thursday morning.
The RSS functionary, a construction worker, was attacked by a gang of bike-mounted assailants wearing masks who were pursuing him when he was on his way to his workplace. Sources quoting witnesses said Vipin had tried to escape the attack by abandoning his bike but the killers continued the attack by chasing him for over 50 meters.
He then tried to take refuge at the nearest house but the killers attacked him again before he could reach its gates. The police, who reached the spot after being informed by the local people, had taken him to the hospital but he was declared brought-dead there. Sources said the RSS worker had suffered a minimum of 25 hack wounds in ten parts of his body.
The police believe that Vipin’s murder could have been an act of revenge for the killing of Faizal for which 16 persons including Faizal’s brother-in-law for the murder were arrested. A court had released Vipin on bail on April 27. Faizal’s mother embraced Islam in December last and other family members, including two sisters, also had reportedly converted to Islam later.
Sangh Pariwar leaders criticized the police for not providing security to Vipin despite the fact that this was not the first attack to take place against persons accused in the Faizal murder case. One of the accused, T lajeesh, had faced an attack at Parappanangadi on August 2 and a driving school run by another accused, Jayaprakash, had come under attack on December 8.