KOZHIKODE: Till recently, political killings were defined as emotional outbursts of hard-core party men. Murders committed by ‘quotation gangs’ were seen as inhuman while instigators of murders arising from political divides were looked upon more leniently.
Revelations from the police probe into the dastardly killing of RMP leader T P Chandrasekharan have confirmed that political leadership habitually employs ‘quotation gangs’ to eliminate rivals.
“Kunjananthan, for whom the SIT has issued a look-out circular, has been one big coordinator of ‘political-quotations’. He has been acting as the main link between senior leaders and gangsters and looks after the finance, medical, legal assistance and welfare of the accused. However, he holds the image of a good Samaritan among police officials and authorities in Panoor, Kolavalloor, Chokli, Koothuparamba, Thalassery, Edakkad, New Mahe, Palloor and Nadapuram regions.
‘’There are not many police officers in this region who do not know this. But, he is yet to be arraigned as accused in any case till date. A nexus between police and politicians cannot be ruled out,” said former Kozhikode SP N Subash Babu.
Kakka Shaji, Maman Vasu, Maveli Sasi, Kattil Suresh, Kodi Suni... thus goes the list of infamous hit-men in Kannur, each with a trademark style. “Maman Vasu worked for the CPM and was an accused in a few cases. After killing the person, he used to cut the victim’s stomach and fill it with sand. Vasu was killed by BJP activists and they returned the gesture. Similarly, Kodi Suni - the prime suspect in T P’s murder - has the habit of mutilating the face and urinating on it,” said a police officer currently tracking the case.
Many senior police officers, both serving and retired, are of the view that the May 4 murder could well be considered as the first case in the state wherein the state police could expose the direct involvement of party men in the conspiracy.
“Earlier, this was not the case. The police top brass and the government would only enquire whether the accused were arrested or not. Soon after the murder, party men used to furnish lists of accused and that of a bunch of witnesses as also a set of weapons said to be used for the killing. Therefore, there was no need for any investigation and the police had to do only the paper work,” said another former SP, who served in Kannur for nearly three decades, but preferred not to be named.