Kasargod: Ten days after the gruesome twin murders of Youth Congr-ess workers Kripesh and Sharath Lal, the repeated attempts of the CPM to protect the arrested has surfaced.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and CPM state secretary Kod-iyeri Balakrishnan had disowned the murders and said killers will have no place in the party and they will not be supported. However, what is happening on the ground is at variance with the statements.
Local CPM men brought food and other essentials for the arrested local committee member A. Peethambaran and branch committee member Saji George at Bekal police station.
The local leaders called on the duo at the station at frequent intervals. A CPM team, led by former MLA K.V. Kunjiraman offered financial and legal help to the family of Peethambaran.
Besides, CPM has kick-started explanation at its branch, local committee meetings. “The focus of the explanation is to project that Kripesh and Sharath Lal were not angels, but the Congress workers who were indulged in violence against the CPM. The party took a U-Turn from resisting the attack to counter-attack,” said a party source.
The murders puzzled many party workers as the victims were not ‘political criminals’ but two youth active in all the activities of their village, irrespective of party affiliation. Realising this, the CPM started its explanation to cadres.
Further, public meetings and programmes are being planned to establish the criminal antecedents of the dead, according to a party source. However, the CPM is cautious of coming out in the open depicting the victims as criminals as it would face backlash, especially when polls are round the corner.
Reacting to the developments, CPM district secretary M.V. Balakrishnan said the party has not helped the duo. “Those helping maybe relatives or neighbours. That cannot be put into CPM account,” he said.
Rumours are rife that Peethambaran’s denial of crime in court was at CPM’s behest.
