Widespread violence in Kannur

Kannur: Kannur remained tense with many incidents of violence on the hartal day on Thursday even as the body of  slain BJP worker  Ramith Kollanadi was cremated at Chavassery, near Mattannur, after post-mortem at the government medical college hospital,  Kozhikode. Ramith’s body was brought to his house at Pinarayi amidst tight  security  as a police force with water cannons camped in the area. His sister Ramisha, who was eight-month pregnant, fainted seeing the body and was admitted to hospital. Ramisha and mother Narayani had witnessed  Ramith’s murder on Wednesday.  

Police sources confirmed that a six-member gang had come on three bikes and committed the murder.    The police on Thursday took two RSS men, Rahul and Roopesh into custody in connection with the murder of CPM local committee member Kuzhichalil Mohanan on Monday.  They were held from RSS karyalay (office) in Kannur and the police are  yet to register their arrest. Rahul’s house was vandalised  soon after the murder.

The hartal supporters attacked the N.E Balaram memorial CPI party office  in Thalassery. At Seetharpallli, country-made bombs were hurled at the CPM branch office. At Poovattuparamba, Mundakkal, Kozhikode, a BJP worker’s shop was partially charred. At  Kunnamangalam, the car of a marriage party was stopped and the key was taken out by BJP activists.  Buses and other vehicles  kept off the road. While the CPM men wanted to keep the shops open in Pinarayi town, the BJP activists insisted on their closure. To avoid violence, the police virtually manned the shops.