Kerala: Encounter killings of Maoist has Congress divided

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The "encounter killings" of Maoists have Congress house in Kerala deeply divided. A day after the leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala justified it, KPCC president V.M. Sudheeran rejected the crime branch and magisterial probes and demanded a judicial enquiry headed by a retired or serving high court judge. In a letter to the chief minister, he said while the force is under a cloud, another wing of the police probing it will not have any sanctity.

Similarly, the sub-collector under the government initiating a magisterial enquiry is not justifiable. On Saturday, Mr Chennithala, during whose tenure as home minister reports of Naxalite attacks in the northern parts of the state came out, had rallied behind the government saying it was not a fake encounter, happening after 44 years since the killing of 'Naxalite' Varghese. He also came down heavily on the CPI, the second largest constituent of the LDF, for raising doubts over the encounter, calling it immature.

“Maoists had shot at forces several times. In this case, a proper investigation has to be initiated,” he had said Saturday. Earlier in the day, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan ordered a magisterial probe, by Perinthalmanna sub-collector, into the encounter in Nilambur forests resulting in the brutal killing of two Maoist leaders, including a woman. He also asked the collector to ensure a thorough probe and submit the report at the earliest.