Kannur, epicentre of CPM-RSS Mahabharata, derives its name from Lord Krishna

The RSS-BJP and the ruling CPM are in bitter violent political battle in Kerala. Both sides accuse the other of killing their supporters and workers.

Defence Minister Arun Jaitley described the latest murder of RSS activist Rajesh as "barbaric" saying that kind of wounds inflicted on his body would "embarrass even terrorists".

The RSS-BJP has claimed that 21 workers of the saffron brigade have been killed since the Left Front government came back to power last year. The CPM, on the other hand, alleged that the RSS-BJP workers killed 13 of its members in the last one year.

Though violence is being reported from across Kerala, Kannur has been epicentre of political violence. Reports about the killings of political workers have become too frequent from Kannur but the trend is over five-decade old. An India Today report showed how the political murders are happening since the days of MS Golwalkar, who began RSS work in Kerala soon after Independence.

THE CITY OF KANNUR

The official website of Kannur district of Kerala says that the city derived its name from Lord Krishna, who was the master philosopher during the Mahabharata days and is credited to have enunciated the doctrine of Karma (right action) to Prince Arjun in the middle of battlefield. Kannur of today seems to have turned into a similar battlefield where political opponents are being annihilated.

Kannur is a compound Malayalam word formed by joining Kannan (Lord Krishna) and Ur (place) making the city the place of Lord Krishna. The word Kannur is also said to be related to an ancient Kerala village Kanathur. The city also has an ancient temple devoted to Lord Krishna.

KANNUR TILL INDEPENDENCE

Since the days of the Chera empire, Kannur has a rich history of centuries. In the 18th and the 19th century, Kannur gave a long and bloody resistance to British colonialists who were on expansion spree in the country.

Kannur played significant role during the freedom movement. During his non-cooperation movement of 1920-21, Mahatma Gandhi toured Kannur, which soon became a centre of peasant uprising against landlords. This very phenomenon prepared the ground for spread of communist ideology in Kerala.

The communists established firm hold on Kannur during 1930s. In the next decade, particularly after the Independence, the RSS turned towards Kannur. And, with this began the streak of political violence and killings.

GENESIS OF RSS-CPM CLASH

MS Golwalkar held two rallies in Kerala - in 1948 and 1952. Both the rallies came under attack by the CPM supporters. After the second rally held at Alappuzha, there were a series of attacks on RSS leaders resulting in multiple deaths in Thrissur, Kottayam, Ernakulam and Palakkad districts. Kannur was also tense.

By 1971, when Kannur witnessed first communal riots, it had already seen targeted killings of political activists from either camps. The support base for the RSS lay in Karnataka-based Hindu businessmen while the local Kannur businessmen, mostly Muslims, backed the CPM.

RECENT RECORDS

Though both the RSS-BJP and the CPM claim that the other side has been more aggressive and violent, the data show that number of party workers killed on either side has been roughly the same.

Between 2000 and 2016-17, 85 CPM workers were reported killed while 65 RSS-BJP workers were murdered. Congress and the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) lost 11 workers each due to political violence over the same period.

Over the same period, violence and murders have become more frequent in Kannur. While 31 RSS-BJP workers were killed between 2000 and 2016, 30 CPM workers were killed, according to an RTI reply by the Kerala police. In total, 69 political murders took place in Kannur between 2000 and 2016.

Except 2003, every year since the turn of the century has seen political killings in Kannur with a maximum 12 political murders reported in 2008.

CPM BASTION: EPICENTRE OF POLITICAL VIOLENCE

Kannur is considered as the stronghold of the CPM. Kerala Chief Minister Vijayan has won his election from Dharmadom seat in the district.

Kannur has a population of 25 lakh and a literacy rate of 85 per cent. But higher-than-national average literacy has not prevented it from becoming politically most violent district of Kerala.

The crime graph of Kannur has gone further north since the last Assembly election. But, that is true even for the overall crime record of the state. Crime data in Kerala has almost trebled since 2008. According to police records, 2,52,408 criminal cases were reported in 2008 while in 2016, 7,07,541 cases were registered.

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