If the murder of RMP leader T P Chandrasekharan stands out as a major blot on the political history of the state, it has more reasons to hang its head in shame since as many as 92 persons had been killed due to political rivalry in the state in the past 10 years. According to the statistics available with the State Crime Records Bureau and accessed by Express, 92 persons were killed in the state due to political animosity from 2004 to 2013. Kannur, the district which is notorious for political murders, tops the list with a death toll of 35 during the period. Thrissur comes second with a toll of 24 and Palakkad is in the third position with eight political murders.
Pathanamthitta, Wayanad, Kottayam and Ernakulam seem to be tolerant as far as political rivalry is concerned as they drew a blank in the statistics chart. In Kozhikode, two political murders were recorded during the period, one in 2012 and the other in 2013. The TP murder that occurred at Vadakara in 2012 is one of the two.
Malappuram has only one murder motivated by political rivalry, that took place in 2006. Idukki has the same figure as Malappuram with one incident being reported in 2004. Thiruvananthapuram witnessed five political murders during this period; one each in 2004, 2005 and 2008 and two in 2013.
Similarly, in Kollam also five political killings took place; one each in 2004, 2006, 2007, 2009 and 2010. The figure for the corresponding period in Alappuzha district is seven. Two murders each were reported in the district in 2004 and 2007 and one each in 2005, 2006 and in 2012.
In Kasargod, three incidents of political murders were registered in the same period; one each in 2011, 2012 and 2013.