KANHANGAD: The uneasy calm in Kalliyot was shattered after two months when a steel bomb was thrown at the house of Dipesh alias Deepu Krishnan, a Youth Congress worker and a close friend of slain Kripesh and Sarath Lal. Bekal police said the crude bomb hit the wall of the house and shattered a window pane, around 11.30 pm on Sunday. According to the Congress leaders, CPM workers were behind the attack. The retaliation was quick. Suspected Congress workers attacked the houses of CPM local committee member M Balakrishnan and CPM sympathiser A Valsaraj around midnight, said Bekal inspector Latheesh.
The window panes of Balakrishnan’s house were broken, with five vehicles parked in front of Valsaraj’s residence getting vandalised. The windshield of two tipper trucks, a mini truck, pickup vehicle, a car and jeep were broken. The house of Valsaraj, a wealthy trader of hill produce, had been targeted earlier as well in the wake of the twin murders on February 17.
Their families alleged Valsaraj had a role in the murders. Police deployed three officers at the house of Valsaraj. The officers -- Pradeep Kumar of Bekal station, Sarath Kumar of Rajapuram police station, and Suresh Kanam of Chandera police station -- deployed at Valsaraj’s house suffered injuries in Sunday night’s outrage. Eight persons were arrested in connection with the attacks on the home of Valasaraj and Balakrishnan.