PALAKKAD: In what appears to be a retaliatory attack, an RSS worker was hacked to death allegedly by SDPI/PFI activists at Melamuri in Kerala’s Palakkad district on Saturday, less than 24 hours after a PFI activist was killed at Elappully. Former RSS sharik shikshak pramukh A Sreenivasan, 45, succumbed to head injuries sustained in the attack which came at the back of the killing of Subair, 44.
The police said six persons were involved in Sreenivasan’s murder. While three entered his auto consultancy shop, around 1pm, the other three waited outside on two wheelers. The assailants escaped in the vehicles after committing the crime. Police have retrieved the CCTV visuals of the attackers and registration numbers of their bikes.
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 Sakhre and North zone IG Ashok Yadav are camping in Palakkad while police officers have been deployed in large numbers.
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 on a motorbike after attending noon prayers at a local mosque. The assailants knocked the bike down using their car and then hacked him. Autopsy report said Subair had more than 50 wounds on his body. 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 formed 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 Ellapully 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.
PROHIBITORY ORDERS IN PALAKKAD TILL APRIL 20
Prohibitory orders have been clamped in the district till April 20 in the wake of the back-to-back political killings. The imposition comes as a precautionary measure to prevent communal strife and the resultant law and order issues. Additional District Magistrate K Manikantan issued a directive to this effect