In God’s Own Country, the left parties are resorting to political violence and intimidation against supporters of Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to protect their last fortress. They have not only forced villagers to boycott Sangh karyakartas and their families, but also barred shopkeepers from selling articles of daily needs to them, alleged RSS supporters in Kannur.
Narrating the left atrocities against RSS-BJP workers in Payyanur village near Kannur town, a villager, pleading anonymity, said, “Hundreds of houses of RSS/BJP supporters were torched by the Red brigade. Water sources were destroyed to deny availability of drinking water to the families of RSS-BJP supporters.”
“CPI(M) cadre threw a bulk of human hairs into wells so that water cannot be used for drinking purpose. In another incident, CPI(M) workers threw a vehicle into the well to pollute drinking water,” the RSS worker added.
Payyanur is a CPI(M)-dominated village and if any villager dares to support the RSS-BJP workers, he or she meets a same fate of Sangh karykartas, they alleged.
Although families of RSS-BJP workers are shaken up by spurt in left brutalities, they have resolved not to give up. Family members of slain RSS workers from Andalore Santosh in Kannur to E Rajesh in Trivandrum are firm in their resolve to stick to their ideology come what may.
Vismaya, the 13-year-old daughter of slain RSS worker Santosh, wants to become an IPS officer to put an end to political violence in Kerala. Santosh was killed in January 2017 while he was sleeping at his home.
While trying to hold back tears, Vismaya said, “I know top police officials have powers to stop violence. I do not want anyone suffer like me.”
Though Vismaya and her mother are depending on agriculture for their livelihood in Dharmadam village of Kannur district’s Thalassery Taluk, her brother is studying in Shayam lal College of Delhi University.
Narayani (60) of the Pinarayi village (the village of Chief Minister P Vijayan), who lost both her husband and son in left’s brutalities, said she knows the accused well but still she waiting for the justice.
“What is worse that my house is just one km away from CM Pinarayi Vijayan’s house. Goons came in my house and killed my son in front of me and my grand-daughter,” said an inconsolable Narayani.
P Balakrishnan, the secretary of BJP (Kerala), said Narayani’s son Rimid was murdered by CPI(M) activists because his father was an active worker of RSS.
“My son came from Saudi Arabia on vacations. He was unaware of what was happening at home. They (Marxists) killed my son and hacked his body into pieces,” said Nayarani holding the picture of Ramid close to her heart.
In Kadirur, a town with Thalassery Taluk, CPI(M) workers chopped off the leg of a woman when she came forward to save his sons — Sajesh and Sarosh who were brutally attacked by them. “The attackers chopped the leg of our mother when she came to help us,” said one of the sons, who survived the murderous attempt.
All the victims of the Red terror belong to SC/ST communities and villagers in Kannur and Payyanur are frightened to cross the boundaries.
Not only the villages but the urban towns are also witnessing political violence in Kerala. On July 29, E Rajesh was murdered in Trivandrum allegedly by CPI(M) cadre. He was stabbed 89 times.
Rajesh’s father said his son was not involved in any crime. “Rajesh was active member of RSS since his school days. He even sold his wife’s chain to help in a treatment of a RSS worker,” said his father.
“My son’s sacrifice will not go in vain. We will keep fighting against the terror of CPI(M),” said the father.
Despite the political murders and intimidations by CPI(M), families of Sangh workers’ are determined to contribute in every possible way for the emergence of RSS and BJP as strong power in Kerala.