THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Congress and IUML leaders have condemned the killing of an IUML worker at Nadapuram on Friday allegedly by CPM activists and said that the CPM was implementing the policy of retaliation propounded by state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan recently. Muhammed Aslam, one of the 17 acquitted IUML workers in the C.K. Shibin murder case of January last year, was hacked to death at Thuneri, Nadapuram, on Friday evening.
KPCC president V. M. Sudheeran expressed shock over the killing of the youth who was acquitted by the court. Opposition Leader Ramesh Chennithala alleged that the CPM was implementing its verdict in Nadapuram. Former chief minister Oommen Chandy also echoed the same view. Mr Sudheeran said the CPM was not bothered about the court verdict and was punishing its opponents.
Muhammed Aslam
“It is another instance of murder politics and vengeance practised by the CPM which has sent out the message that it is the decision-maker and not the court or the police,” Mr Sudheeran said and asked the government to bring the guilty to book. Mr Chennithala also urged the government to act swiftly and end the violence.
“The CPM’s actions cannot be tolerated at any cost. The murder happened because of the failure of the police. Two more similar incidents have happened at Neyyatinkara and at Ollur in Thrissur,” he said. Muslim League leaders P. K. Kunhalikutty and K. P. A. Majeed also voiced concern over the CPM’s violent politics.
Aslam murder: Fear grips Nadapuram
As another youngster has lost his life in the political-communal violence at Nadapuram, there is fear of another outbreak of violence in the area. Houses were attacked, vehicles torched and police vehicles damaged in the locations surrounding Nadapuram on Saturday after IUML worker Muhammed Aslam was killed on Friday. Country-bombs were also hurled at several roads.
The attacks were mainly centred round Kallachi-Kummankode, Vellur-Kodanchery and Kottembram areas. A police jeep and a van were attacked. Many families have started shifting to their relatives’ houses in far-away places.
District Collector N. Prasanth has warned that stringent action will be taken against those who spread rumours about the violence.
Aslam’s murder came as a clear indication of vengeance for the murder of CPM worker Shibin at Thuneri, Nadapuram, in January last year. All the accused in the Shibin murder case were acquitted. However, the CPM district committee members washed of their hands in the latest murder. But social media comments by ‘comrades’ celebrate the murder of Aslam as a retaliation for Shibin’s murder, for the former was acquitted in the latter’s murder.
There was widespread violence in the area after the Shibin murder. It was estimated that 70 Muslim houses were attacked in Thuneri, Vellur and properties worth '50 crore were destroyed. Similar violence is feared as Aslam’s body was brought back from government medical college hospital after post-mortem on Saturday.
The residents of the area, especially women, were scared to attend even phone calls as the memory of the previous violence still haunts them. The police vehicles that drove across also filled the air with fear. The dawn-to-dusk hartal called by the IUML was peaceful in Vadakara as the ambulance carrying the body skipped the route while travelling to Thuneri.
Murder unfortunate, says Pinarayi Vijayan
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who is also the Home Minister, said that the murder was unfortunate. There were clear links leading to the killers, he told mediapersons in Kozhikode on Saturday. All measures were taken to avoid the spread of violence, he said. A seven-member special investigation team under Vadakara ASP Kurupp Swamy is probing the murder case. Cases were registered against six people, including the driver of the car. Police got the mobile phone, suspected to be that of the accused. They also identified that the car in which the accused travelled belonged to a native of Beypore.
