Several parts of Kannur, Kerala’s Marxist heartland with a history of four decades of murderous political violence, seemed to be slipping into panic once again as tension prevailed in vulnerable areas following four incidents of bomb attack on the houses of BJP and CPI(M) activists on a single day, Thursday. However, nobody had suffered serious injuries in the attacks.
Thursday’s incidents took place despite the fact that almost all vulnerable areas had been under the special observation of police which had been going on since the brutal murder of RSS leader Manoj of Elanthottathil at Kathiroor in the district on September 1. However, sources in the police refused to relate Thursday’s incidents to the killing of Manoj.
Thursday’s violent incidents started at 3.00 am when a group of men hurled a country-made bomb at the house of MK Premarajan, a CPI(M) activist and president of the Chakkarakkallu unit of the Vyapari Vyavasayi Samithi, at Irivery in the district. It is said that a group of six men who came on three motorbikes had carried out the attack.
In an apparent retaliation, a group of men attacked the house of BJP worker K Jayaraman at Bavode in Chakkarakkallu by 1.00 pm, Thursday. The trouble-makers, allegedly CPI(M) activists, damaged the furniture in the house and threatened Jayaraman’s wife. Before leaving the place, the gang threw a bomb at the house.
Within hours of this incident, two bomb blasts occurred at the house of one Karunan at Vellachal near Chakkarakkallu. Immediately after this, a group of motorbike-mounted men created panic at Iverkulam bear Peralassery by throwing country-made bombs on the road. The gang fled the place before the police arrived.
Chakkarakkallu and surrounding areas have seen many incidents of bomb blasts and violence among CPI(M), BJP and Congress activists in the past five months. On October 5, the house of BJP’s Dharmadom unit vice-president Rathnavally at Irivery had come under attack and the BJP had observed a hartal in the area.
“We really fear that Kannur is slipping into yet another phase of violence,” said Sasidharan, a resident of Kathiroor, one of the most politically volatile places in entire Kannur district. “I am not sure whether the current round of violence at Chakkarakkallu has anything to do with the murder of Manoj but the police should pay greater attention to this place now,” he said.
Meanwhile, the police found more evidences for the involvement of CPI(M) activist Vikraman in the murder of RSS leader Manoj. Sources in the police said they considered the shards of bomb found in the leg of Vikraman as valuable evidence. A court has allowed the police to subject Vikraman, first accused in the Manoj murder case, to an operation to collect the evidence.
The bomb shards thrust in the flesh in the injury Vikraman had suffered in the right leg were found in an X-ray examination.