In the first major incident of violence in Kannur — known as Kerala’s political killing field — after the CPI(M)-led lDF Government assumed office in the State in May, a BMS-BJP worker was stabbed to death in the wee hours of Tuesday and a CPI(M) activist was hacked to death late Monday night in Payyannur. Both were killed at their homes.
CK Ramachandran (48), area president of the BMS and an autorikshaw driver in Payyannur town, was stabbed to death by a gang at about 1.30 am at his house in Annoor. The killers stabbed him brutally after creating an atmosphere of terror by exploding bombs. Though he was taken to a private hospital in Payyannur immediately, life could not be saved.
Ramachandran was murdered within hours of the killing of CV Dhanaraj (38) of Kunnaru, Ramanthali in Payyannur. A gang of six masked men followed Dhanaraj on three motorbikes as he was returning home at about 10.00 pm on Monday. The gang pounced on him immediately just as reached the courtyard of his house and hacked him.
Dhanaraj, DYFI’s Kunnaru area joint secretary and a CP(M) member, was taken to the Medical College Hospital at Pariyaram with grave hack injuries but he was declared brought dead. The two murders triggered violence all over the Payyannur area in which several houses, trading establishments and vehicles came under attack.
While the BJP accused the CPI(M) of murdering Ramachandran, the Marxists blamed the BJP-RSS for the murder of Dhanaraj even as police personnel in large numbers were deployed all over Payyannur to avert any further incident of violence, District Superintendent of Police Sanjay Kumar Gurudin said.
State Director General of Police loknath Behera who visited Payyannur said the twin murders were planned and that it was yet be confirmed whether these were incidents of political killing. Stating that separate probes would be held into the two murders, he said, “A special investigation team would be constituted if the incidents are related,” he said.
The Kannur district police chief said that investigations were already on into the two incidents of murder adding that clear indications about the culprits had been received. “Priority is to avert any incident of retaliation and we have strengthened the security arrangements in the region,” the police official said.
“The incidents prove that the leftist Government is unable to maintain peace even in the Chief Minister’s district. The CPI(M) leaders should break their silence and ask their functionaries and workers to lay down arms,” said Kummanam Rajasekharan, State president of the BJP. Kannur is State Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s native district.
Squarely blaming the BJP for the murder of Dhanaraj, State CPI(M) secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, who also hails from Kannur, said that the incident was the result of a conspiracy between the State and district leaderships of the BJP. CPI(M)’s Kannur district secretary P Jayarajan said the BJP was trying to create insecurity in the State.
Indicating that the national BJP leadership was viewing the development in Kannur very seriously, reports from Delhi quoted the party’s national secretary, H Raja, as blaming Pinarayi for the violent incidents in Kerala. “Without the knowledge of the Chief Minister, the incident could not have taken place,” he said.
“He is totally responsible for the latest incident. He should tell his party leaders and workers to stop violence or a situation may come that necessitates the Centre’s intervention,” Raja was quoted as saying. State Congress president VM Sudheeran accused the CPI(M) of unleashing violence after coming to power.