Kannur could be the capital of political killings in the state. But, the bloodshed history of political vendetta has its reverberations in the central Kerala too. Incidents like Anchery Baby murder, where Youth Congress leader was killed allegedly by CPM activists 30 years ago, had its repercussions in the political map of Idukki for a long time.
In another incident in 2000, Dominic, a Theera Sangh worker, was allegedly murdered by 11 CPM activists. It was only a couple of months ago that a DYFI leader was hacked to death near Guruvayur in what appeared as a fallout of the CPM-BJP rivalry. The death of 22-yr-old Faizal, who is an accused in two cases of attacking BJP activists, brought back the spectre of political violence into the temple town. What made the murder more gruesome is the fact that he was chased down by a gang on a public road and hacked him in the presence of many people. Thrissur witnessed another similar incident around an year ago, when local Congress leader Eacharthu Madhu was hacked to death by a five-member gang, reportedly following group wars within the party.
Even here, the incident was in broad daylight in the presence of his wife. Political murders along the coastal belt too were not uncommon. In 2008, a 30-year-old RSS activist was hacked to death, allegedly by NDF activists at Puvathoor. An RSS taluk karyavahak in-charge and one of the prime accused in the sensational murder case, was hacked to death in 2007. The RSS alleged that the murder was the handiwork of the NDF activists. Around the same time, a 32-year-old DYFI leader, engaged in real estate business, was stabbed to death.
In another incident of political killing, a CPM worker was killed in Palakkad in 2007. Gopalakrishnan was killed after being attacked by suspected BJP activists. And there are many more, which are yet to be traced.
Revisiting the 3-decade-old Rajan Murder Case
Amongst all the political killings which shook the state, Rajan case had been a hot topic in all the elections since 1977. The case related to the death of P Rajan, a student with the then Regional Engineering College, Kozhikode, as a result of torture in police custody during the Emergency period in 1976. The issue was discussed in all the elections till the death of Congress stalwart K Karunakaran in 2010. However, it did not come out as a topic for debate in the immediate general elections held in 1977, just months after the end of Emergency, as political parties had not raised the issue owing to the Censorship Act enforced that time.
Cong Can’t Wash its ‘Hands’ of Kunhali Case
The murder of CPM leader and legislator K Kunhali, allegedly by Congressmen in 1969, rocked Malabar as party leader Aryadan Mohammed was named one among the accused in the case. Kunhali was shot dead allegedly by Congress activists but it had not come up as a topic in the poll campaigns as Aryadan was acquitted by Madras High Court. Though the then Chief Minister E M S Nampoothiripad ordered a probe, the murder did not evoke a mass protest just like the T P Chandrasekharan murder case. Besides, the CPM did not allege a wider conspiracy behind the murder involving senior leaders of the Congress.