PALAKKAD: In what appears to be a retaliatory attack, an RSS worker was hacked to death allegedly by SDPI/PFI activists at Melamuri in Palakkad district on Saturday, less than 24 hours after a PFI activist was killed at Elappully.Former RSS sharirik shikshak pramukh A Sreenivasan, 45, succumbed to head injuries sustained in the attack which followed the killing of Subair, 44.
The police said six persons were involved in Sreenivasan’s murder. While three entered his auto consultancy centre, around 1pm, the other three waited outside on two wheelers. The assailants escaped in the vehicles after committing the crime. The police have retrieved the CCTV visuals of the attackers and registration numbers of their bikes.
Meanwhile, four persons who allegedly possess links with Sangh Parivar organisations have been taken into custody in connection with Subair’s killing. He was returning along with father Aboobacker on a motorbike after attending noon prayers at a local mosque.
The assailants knocked the bike down using their car and then hacked him. Postmortem examination report said Subair had more than 50 wounds on his body. The police prepared the FIR based on the statement of Aboobacker, who said he suspected it to be a political murder. Hundreds of PFI and SDPI workers joined a procession as the body of Subair was taken from the district hospital after postmortem. There was a police bandobast along the way.
The twin murder is the latest in a series of attacks involving RSS and SDPI activists in Elappully area.
Nearly a year ago, SDPI activist Zakir Hussein had suffered serious cuts on his hand in an attack. On November 15, RSS activist Sanjith was attacked and killed by suspected SDPI/PDP activists at Mambram when he and his wife were travelling on a motorbike. The police believe the murder of Subair on the day of Vishu was retaliatory.
A car belonging to Sanjith was recovered from the crime scene. The other car in which the RSS activists escaped, and was later found abandoned on Saturday near Kinfra Park in Kanjikode, belongs to one Kripesh. The assailants are believed to have escaped to Tamil Nadu.
Vijay Sakhare camping in Palakkad dist
Meanwhile, Arshitha, wife of Sanjith, said that two months before his death, he had given his car to a workshop for repair and it was not taken back. Aliyar, who is the present owner of the car, said it was one Ramesh who had taken the car on rent from him. The police are on the lookout for Ramesh.
The four persons taken into custody in connection with Subair murder are Sreejith, Sudarshan, Jinesh and Shyju. Of them, Sreejith and Sudarshan are accused in the attack on Zakir Hussein. They had secured bail one month ago. Sreenivasan is survived by wife Gopika, who is a teacher at the Kannaki school in Melamuri and daughter Navaneetha, a sixth-standard student at Amrita Vidyalayam. ADGP Vijay Sakhare and North zone IG Ashok Yadav are camping in Palakkad while police officers have been deployed in large numbers.