PATHANAMTHITTA/THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The CPM Peringara local committee secretary, P B Sandeep Kumar, 32, was hacked to death by a group of men on Thursday evening. The CPM district leadership has alleged that his murder was a planned one and that RSS men were behind the attack.
Tiruvalla DySP T Rajappan said a six-member team that arrived on two-wheelers had attacked Sandeep. “The incident took place around 8pm at Chathankary in Tiruvalla. We haven’t confirmed whether it was a political murder. We have launched a search for the culprits behind the murder,” the officer said.
Meanwhile, CPM Pathanamthitta district leader Sanal Kumar alleged a gang led by a person called Jishnu had hacked Sandeep. “Sandeep was a popular face of the party. It was a deliberate plan by the RSS to create tension in the region,” said Sanal.
RSS trying to create a terror-like situation: CPM
“He was sitting on a culvert when the assailants reached the spot. They chased him to the nearby paddy field, and hacked and stabbed him to death. Though the party workers reached the spot, the attackers threatened them by showing swords and other weapons. Though Sandeep was rushed to the Tiruvalla hospital, his life could not be saved,” he said.
Sandeep was a former Peringara panchayat member. According to CPM leaders, he was one of the youngest and most popular leaders of the party in the area, and was in the party office in Peringara till evening on Thursday. Recently, Sandeep was unanimously elected as the local secretary. The CPM leaders also said that he was very active in the activities of the DYFI and was one of the key people strengthening the party in Peringara.
Meanwhile, condemning Sandeep’s murder, the CPM state secretariat said the RSS has been trying to create a terror- like situation in the state. In a statement issued in Thiruvananthapuram, the party secretariat demanded the conspiracy behind the murder be brought out.
“CPM workers have been getting killed by RSS workers in the state. There’s a deliberate move to eliminate CPM cadre. The RSS attempt is to create tension and provocation by destroying the peaceful atmosphere,” the CPM said.
The CPM leadership has asked party cadre not to be provoked by the RSS action. The party demanded that a detailed probe be carried out to bring the culprits before the law.
Hartal in Tiruvalla today
The CPM has called a hartal in Tiruvalla municipality and adjoining five panchayats from 6 am to 6 pm on Friday in protest against the murder of P V Sandeep Kumar