THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Hours after the CPM Thiruvananthapuram district committee office was pelted with stones allegedly by ABVP activists, the house of party district secretary Anavoor Nagappan came under attack late on Saturday night.
The window panes in the front portion of the house and a car parked inside the compound were damaged in the attack, which the CPM leadership alleged was carried out by BJP-RSS activists. Nagappan was not present at the house at Anavoor when the attack took place. The Marayamuttom police said the incident came to the notice of the family members by 7.30 am on Sunday.
“We are yet to ascertain the exact time of the attack, and that’s affecting the examination of the CCTV visuals collected from the cameras installed in the vicinity of the house,” said a police officer.
Accusing the BJP and RSS of trying to create tension in the state during the Onam season, General Education Minister V Sivankutty said the assailants wanted to harm Anavoor as the room in which he used to rest was targeted.
“The Vanchiyoor incident, the attack on the party district committee office and the attack on Anavoor’s house were all the result of a deep-rooted conspiracy. The state leadership of the BJP and the RSS has a role in the conspiracy behind the attacks,” Sivankutty said.
LDF convener E P Jayarajan said the attack on Anavoor Nagappan’s house was a continuation of the violence against the party district committee office on Saturday. The CPM district committee office at Mettukkada was attacked by six bike-borne men in the wee hours of Saturday. On Sunday, the Thampanoor police arrested six ABVP members, who were allegedly behind the attack.
Tension spills over
Close on the heels of the attack on Anavoor’s house, DYFI district president V Anoop and seven other local party leaders were attacked allegedly by a group of RSS-BJP men at Manikandeswaram near Vattiyoorkavu on Sunday noon.
The Vattiyoorkavu police said the incident occurred when the leaders were visiting the area where the party flags were found destroyed on Saturday night. “Political tension has been simmering in the area for some time. There have been incidents of destruction of party flag posts. We have registered a case on the attack against DYFI leaders,” said a police officer.
The latest bout of violence against the CPM workers in the city started on Friday with the manhandling of party councillor Gayathri Babu allegedly by ABVP workers during a procession conducted by the LDF at Vanchiyoor. A group barged into the procession and roughed up the councillor.
However, the ABVP alleged that their state office near Vanchiyoor was attacked by the CPM men on Friday evening as a retaliation. A few hours later, the CPM district committee office at Mettukkada came under stone-pelting.