THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A 43-year-old CPI leader from Pongumoodu near Kattakada sustained severe burns after coming under a suspected acid attack by a fellow party leader at his residence in Kilikottukonam on Sunday morning.
Sudheer Khan, a member of Kilikottukonam panchayat ward and CPI Pongumoodu local committee secretary, sustained injuries after being splashed with a corrosive liquid by another CPI leader Saji Kumar due to personal rivalry, the police said.
Sudheer is also functioning as the president of a dairy cooperative society near Velloorkonam. Saji was the previous president of the society. Since Sudheer assumed the role of the president, issues have been brewing between the two.
The police said Kumar visited Khan's house at 7.30 am on Sunday and was let in by the latter's wife as Kumar said he wanted to meet her husband. Since both men belonged to the same party and Kumar had been to the house on many other occasions to meet Khan, she did not suspect any foul play and let him in. At the time, Khan was asleep in his bedroom and his wife went out to sweep the courtyard.
Later, as she rushed in on hearing cries from Khan's bedroom, Kumar silently left the house without saying a word. When she reached the bedroom, Khan was standing underneath the shower. Since he was not in a condition to speak about what had happened, the family initially assumed he sustained burns after his cell phone exploded.
The doctors later informed the cops that the burns were induced by a chemical substance that was splashed on Khan.
Police recovered a bottle which was reportedly used by Kumar to carry the corrosive chemical.