Kannur Murder: Killers Belong to CPM and Party had Knowledge of Attack, Says Congress

Thiruvananthapuram: The five people who are suspected to be involved in the murder of a Youth Congress leader in Kannur were allegedly close to the local leadership of CPM and had prior knowledge of the week-old incident. The two people who have been arrested in connection with the murder have said that they were close to the local CPM leaders.

In their statement to the police, Akaash Thillankery and Rijin Raj, who were arrested on Sunday night, have confessed to their direct involvement in the gruesome murder of SP Shuhaib and said that they were “assigned” to chop off his legs.

“The two arrested are Akaash and Rijin Raj, both in their early twenties. Aakaash, who is a student of interior designing, is also accused of the murder of BJP worker Vineesh in September 2016,” said police.

However, Congress termed the two arrested as 'proxies'.

“To the best of our knowledge, the two arrested CPM workers are not the real culprits. What is even more curious is that it were the local CPM leaders who presented them before the police. It was not the police who had apprehended them. Moreover, this happened when the CPM leadership kept denying any no role in the murder," senior Congress leader K Sudhakaran said.

He also has sent a letter to CPM General Secretary Sitaram Yechury demanding intervention in the matter.

The Youth Congress workers, demanding justice, sat on a hunger strike outside the secretariat on Monday.

Though Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan took to social media on Sunday evening to condemn the murder, he did not respond to the media on the party’s links with the arrested individuals.

“An impartial police inquiry is underway. The culprits will be arrested irrespective of their allegiance. Stringent action will be taken against them by the police and everyone involved in the murder of Shuhaib will be arrested," Vijayan posted on Facebook.

Meanwhile, veteran CPM leader VS Achuthanandan came down heavily against the killing of the Congress leader. "Anyone with a conscience cannot agree with any kind of killing," he told media persons.

The pictures of the arrested Akash posing with CPM leaders, including CM Vijayan and Kannur district secretary P Jayarajan, are going viral.

CPM State Secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan downplayed the issue and said his party will take action if any of its members were involved in the murder. "Let the police do their job and decide who the culprits are," said Balakrishnan.

Meanwhile, state BJP President Kummanem Rajasekheran has demanded a CBI inquiry into the killing and told the media that the two accused were housed at the state CPM headquarters.

"The CPM first denied their role in the murder and later it is known that the accused are CPM workers. What comes under suspicion now is that the two were presented to the police by the local leadership of CPM. We demand a CBI probe to find out the truth," said Rajasekheran.

The 30-year-old Youth Congress leader was killed when a gang allegedly hurled a country-made bomb at him and attacked him with sharp weapons on February 12 at Mattannur in Kannur district. Two other Youth Congress workers were also injured in the attack.