Palakkad has lately witnessed two back to back murders of one RSS and SDPI/PFI leader each. RSS worker Sreenivasan was fatally stabbed at Melamuri in Palakkad last Saturday, on April 16. This was considered a retaliation to the murder of SDPI leader Subair at Elappully, few hours prior, on the same day. ADGP Vijay Sakhare, who examined the scene after Sreenivasan’s death, informed the reporters regarding a possible conspiracy behind both the murders, and how the police is in pursuit of the culprits.
According to police reports, Subair was returning from the local mosque with his father Aboobacker on a scooter. The attackers knocked them down with a car and attacked Subair, leaving him with more than 50 cuts all over. After the initial investigation, four persons who have RSS backgrounds were taken into custody, in connection with his death. Meanwhile, six people were reportedly associated with the murder of Sreenivasan, of which, three entered his auto consultancy while the rest waited outside. The attackers later fled the scene with their bikes. The police have retrieved the vehicle details from a nearby CCTV camera .
The twin murders in Palakkad have dominated the discussion in the current public sphere, and they are believed to be a succession of the attacks that happened the last year. In July 2021, SDPI activist Zakir Hussain was killed during an altercation between the party workers and RSS members. This was believed to be the motivation in the murder of RSS activist Sanjith on November 15, 2021, while travelling with his wife, believed to be orchestrated by SDPI/PFI activists.
Leader of Opposition VD Satheesan, on Sunday, accused the state’s intelligence department of lack of efficiency in predicting the murders. He also highlighted the lapse in reporting the conspiracy behind the two murders. Satheesan alleged that the intention behind these murders is to induce communal polarisation within the state since the victims are common people and the conspirators are gaining from it.
The series of murders reminds Kerala of its pathetic political conditioning, since a similar incident also occurred in Alappy last December between SDPI and BJP leaders, later resulting in the imposition of Section 144. Kannur has been termed as India’s political murder capital, mainly due to the uncontrolled diaspora politics associated with the land. It is the birthplace of many communist leaders, including current Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
“The communal forces that work within most political parties in India are a dangerous virus that disturbs social harmony,” says Krishnan Unni P, an associate professor at Delhi University. He has stressed the necessity to teach civic consciousness instead of bashing the government, and remember the true meaning of secularism that binds all of us together.
