Forty witnesses examined so far in the sensational case pertaining to the brutal murder of rebel Marxist leader TP Chandrasekharan in Kerala's Kozhikode district have turned hostile allegedly due to threats from the left sympathizers
The sinister warning that appeared on the walls of Indira Bhavan, the Congress office at Kathiroor in Kerala’s Kannur district the other day, is self-explanatory. It bluntly says: “Witnesses, beware! If you wish to see your mother again, remember this is the Red village. We shall meet, not in court, but in this village.”
It was a warning to the prosecution’s witnesses in the case of the brutal murder of TP Chandrasekharan, a rebel leader who challenged the CPI(M)’s leadership in Kerala. Curiously, 40 witnesses examined so far have turned hostile. The CPI(M) leadership is jubilant because chances for escape of a State Committee member, two district secretaries and many local secretaries of the party, accused in Chandrasekharan’s murder, which set off a political storm in Kerala a year ago, have suddenly brightened.
The CPI(M)’s central leadership, including general secretary Prakash Karat, has continuously denied any involvement and asserted that the party did not believe in the elimination of political opponents. But veteran leader VS Achuthanandan pointed accusing fingers at the party’s State leadership, leading to frequent attempts from within the party to expel him.
The Central Committee meeting publicly censured Mr Achuthanandan for his open criticism of the State party leadership. The veteran leader has sought action against all those arrested in this case, to save the party’s image. He said, “The party is attacking and ridiculing the judiciary, media and police and justifying the criminals arrested in the case without any basis. Such a stand taken by the party leadership will not be tolerated by the people. So, whoever from the party is arrested in connection with the murder, ought not to be protected by the party. It is urgent that such a message should reach the people, not by words but through deeds.”
It is now clear that the State leadership is being protected and the CPI(M) Central leadership continues its double-talk to misguide people and to cover up the role of the State leadership and the hired criminals.
The Central Committee was compelled to issue a communiqué on July 21, 2012 that “the party will conduct an enquiry to ascertain the involvement of anyone associated with the party in this incident. Firm action will be taken if anybody is found to be involved and any wrong trend, if exists, will be put down firmly.”
Even after nine months the public is not aware of any such enquiry or of any action against more than five dozen partymen accused and named in the charge-sheet. But the cat is now out of the bag. Mr Karat has stated in an interview that the party conducted an enquiry and as the matter was in court, “it was not suitable to publish the findings.”
The recent claim of Mr Karat that the ‘accused’ will be found innocent also reflects the confidence of the State leadership, which works overtime to wipe out evidence in a daredevil operation, never undertaken by any political party in Kerala. The entire machinery, energy and resources of the party are being lavishly spent to sabotage the legal process. They tried to demoralise and blackmail the investigating officials by threatening their families and attacking their homes. And prosecution witnesses routinely turned hostile due to the CPI(M) leaders’ alleged pressure tactics and open intimidation.
The party even claims that the case of Chandrasekharan’s murder was a ‘conspiracy case’ thrust upon the party like the Peshawar, Kanpur, Meerut cases of early 1920s by the British rulers.
Curiously, it was the CPI(M)’s many organs that came out with changing theories one after another about the conspirators behind the murder of TP. But when the police charge-sheeted their leaders as accused, the party started talking about political conspiracies against them by rival parties.
They continue to reiterate that their party leaders and cadres are being falsely implicated. The CPI(M)’s earlier declaration that firm action will be taken against those party members found involved is no longer expostulated. Mr Karat is confident that all the leaders implicated in the case will be found innocent. A question worth asking is how is he so sure about the outcome of a case which is in trial stageIJ It is obvious that the State leadership must be apprising him about the witnesses turning hostile.
What prevents Mr Karat from making public the contents of the inquiry report on Chandrasekharan’s murderIJ The party general secretary has lost moral ground and has been forced to protect some senior leaders from Kerala who allegedly had something to hide on the murder.
Regrettably, a party with a history of believing in the people for action and support has stooped so low that it now depends completely on heavily-paid criminal lawyers and hostile witnesses to bail its tainted personnel out, even while ignoring the wrath and sentiments of the people.
(The author is a former Associate Editor of Deshabhimani, the CPM’s daily in Kerala)