Political murders: BJP seeks Centre’s intervention in Kerala

Thiruvananthapuram, Jan. 20: BJP in Kerala today sought the Centre’s intervention to ensure law and order in the state a day after the murder of a party worker allegedly by CPI(M) activsts in the northern district of Kannur.
Party state president Kummanam Rajasekharan said a delegation of leaders would soon go to New Delhi to apprise the union government about the situation in the state and press it for intervention.
He was talking to reporters after meeting senior CPI(M) leader and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan at his office here in the wake of the murder.
Rajasekharan said he also informed the Centre that he did not want the ‘Y’ category protection, decided to be given to four senior state party leaders, “as there is no security for the life of ordinary party workers in the state.”
“Centre should intervene to ensure law and order in the state. Party president Amit Shah entrusted Meenakshi Lekhi, MP, and national general secretary V Muralidhar Rao to study the law and order situation in the state,” he said, adding, they would visit Kerala soon.
The BJP activist Santosh (52) was attacked in his house at Andaloor in Dharmadam in Kannur on Wednesday night. Though he was rushed to hospital, he died on the way. BJP observed a hartal in the district as a mark of protest yesterday.
In another incident, a country bomb was hurled at the RSS Karyalaya at nearby Thaliparamba in the district yesterday.
Rajasekharan said party leaders would visit Santosh’s house tomorrow and organise a dharna of mothers at district headquarters on January 23 as part of the protest.
Earlier, a delegation, led by Rajasekharan, asked Vijayan to visit Kannur and convene an all-party meeting in view of the political violence. They also requested him to appoint a special police team to investigate the murders in the district.
BJP MLA O Rajagopal and RSS leader P Gopalankutty Master were in the delegation.