RSS worker killed in Kerala: 2 being quizzed, 7 attackers identified

Thiruvananthapuram: The owner of a car used in ferrying seven persons behind the 12 May killing of an RSS worker at Payyannur and another man who hired the vehicle were taken into custody for questioning, the police said.

They said the identities of the seven persons have been established and a search was on to nab them. The police has also recovered the car used by the assailants from a house at Ramanthali area in the city.

RSS worker Choorakad Biju was hacked to death allegedly by CPM activists at Payyanur town in Kannur district that has witnessed a series of clashes between the ruling CPM and the RSS for the past one year.  Biju was an accused in a case relating to the killing of CPM activist CV Dhanraj in 2016.

Meanwhile, BJP state General Secretary Shoba Surendran said the state Governor P Sathasivam should quit if he is ‘afraid’ of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. Speaking at a protest meeting in front of Kerala House at New Delhi, she said if the governor has some respect to the post he holds, he should take action against the government.

Her outburst came a day after BJP’S state unit submitted a memorandum to the Governor, seeking action and to declare Kannur a disturbed area and to impose Afspa (Armed Forces Special Powers Act) there to maintain law and order.

Her remarks drew a strong reaction from CPM state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, who said in Thiruvananthapuram that the BJP’s attempt to impose President’s rule by threatening the governor was anti-democratic.

“The BJP’s demand for imposing Afspa has no justification. Insulting the governor publicly for not acting in tune with their demand has exposed the BJP’s autocratic nature,” he said.

Countering BJP’s charge that CPM had unleashed attacks  on RSS-BJP workers, Balakrishnan said 12 party workers were killed and 500 party cadres injured in assaults by RSS-BJP workers after the LDF government came to power in May 2016.

Balakrishnan also alleged that the saffron party had initiated a campaign to target the government under cover of the unfortunate incident of killing of Biju.