KOCHI: A 42-year-old man was arrested on Sunday for setting ablaze the house of a woman at Thrikkakara in the early hours of Sunday. The house of Manju K R, an ASHA worker and a CPM activist, at Athani was gutted, the police said. Five rabbits, which the family was rearing, were also killed in the fire.
Ratheesh, son of Thankappan, Chembarakky, Perumbavoor, was arrested in connection with the incident which was alleged politically motivated. However, the police said that personal rivalry was behind the incident.
Manju’s relative had a scuffle with Ratheesh’s brother Rameshan. In retaliation to this, Ratheesh said he would set Manju’s house on fire. Manju and her children had gone to a relative’s house, when Ratheesh set the house on fire. Household items and important documents such as certificates were gutted.
Senior CPM leaders visited the house. Manju told reporters that there was a dispute between her family and that of the accused’s brother. “We had covered the rabbit’s shed with mosquito nets to protect them. Five of them died, while five are alive. Everything else in the house has been gutted,” she said.