Kerala BJP observes hartal to protest murder of party activist in Kannur

Kannur: The Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday began observing dawn-to-dusk strike to protest the murder of a 25-year-old worker in the hometown of Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in the politically-sensitive Kannur district.

Buses and autorickshaws were off the roads as the 12-hour state-wide hartal began at 6 am.

Early reports said no untoward incident was reported in any part of the state, including the politically sensitive northern district of Kannur, where there is heavy police patrolling.

The murder of the worker, identified as Remith, on Wednesday at Pinarayi had sparked a slugfest between the CPI(M), which is heading the ruling LDF, and the BJP.

Remith was murdered allegedly by CPI-M members, less than 48 hours after the murder of a Marxist member.

Remith's body was brought from Kozhikode Medical College Hospital after postmortem to Kannur this morning and kept at Thalassery new bus stand for public to pay homage before cremation.

This is the second hartal in Kannur district within three days as the CPI(M) had observed a hartal in protest against the murder of their worker.?

IGP Northern Range, Dinendra Kashyap, said over 2000 police personnel have been mobilised in Kannur. Those who have gone on leave have been asked to report for duty, he told PTI.

There is simmering tension and more police personnel have been deployed at places where the body will be kept for public homage, he said.

Meanwhile, police have registered cases against 10 CPI(M) workers in connection with the attack on Remith. A special squad under DYSP (Administration) TP Renjith has been formed to investigate the case.

Police have made special arrangements to take patients, who had come by trains from various parts of the state for treatment at the Regional Cancer Centre Hospital in the state capital.

BJP activists took out a march to the Secretariat at around 11 am.

Examinations which were to be conducted today by Kerala, Kannur, Calicut and Cochin Universities have been postponed due to the hartal.

Condemning the killing, BJP national president Amit Shah tweeted, "Attacks on BJP karyakartas in CM Pinarayi Vijayan's home constituency is a matter of grave concern and smacks of political vendetta".

"Chavassery Uttaman, Remith's father was similarly killed in 2002, his mother suffered serious injures when his house was attacked recently", Shah tweeted.

CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury had said the violence in Kerala has been started by the RSS-BJP combine itself and blaming the state's ruling party for the same is "total fabrication" of facts.

Vijayan had yesterday hit out at the RSS for the growing violence in the state which he alleged was with the support of BJP government at the Centre.

Vijayan, while speaking at a function in Alappuzha, attacked RSS and BJP over the attack on a Marxist worker in Kannur two days ago and accused RSS of spreading violence in the state.

The incident comes within two days of the murder of a CPI(M) activist and toddy shop worker Mohanan (40) by a six-member gang at Pathiriyad in Kannur district, with CPI(M) pointing fingers at RSS for the attack.

Ever since the Left government assumed office in Kerala in May, four BJP and three CPI-M workers have been killed in Kannur district.

(With Agency inputs)