Kannur violence claims 2 more lives

By Our Staff Reporter

KANNUR, DEC. 5. The political violence that continued for the fourth day today in the Panur and Koothuparamba areas claimed two more lives, raising the toll to six. At least seven persons belonging to the rival CPI(M) and the BJP-RSS were injured and a few properties damaged in separate incidents of violence since late last night.

Though the situation in the trouble-torn areas remained extremely volatile, there was a let-up in violence following the joint appeal for peace by the CPI(M) and BJP leaders at a meeting convened by the District Collector, Mr. K.R. Jyothilal, at his chamber at 11 a.m today. The leaders, Mr. E.P. Jayarajan and Mr. M.V. Govindan, CPI(M) MLAs, Mr. O.K. Vasu of the BJP and Mr. Valsan Thillankery of the RSS, said they would make all efforts for the peace appeal to percolate down to the party grassroots. No major incident of violence had been reported from these areas since then.

The BJP-RSS worker, P.K. Chandrangathan (35), was hacked to death by a group of CPI(M) workers at his wife's house at Thodeekalam under the Koothuparamba police station limits at around 3.30 a.m. Chandragathan, shakha karyavah who was now running a shop in Mysore, had come to the village yesterday to attend his son's birth anniversary rites.

The CPI(M) activist, Areekkal Ashokan (30), was fatally stabbed by a group of masked BJP-RSS workers at his residence at Kuttyeri under the Panur police station limits around 8.30 a.m. The assailants broke into the house and exploded several country bombs to scare away the people before carrying out the attack, the police said.

A BJP worker, Mukundan (40), who suffered serious stab injuries in an attack at his residence at Thodeekalam late last night, has been admitted to a private hospital in Kochi for urgent microvascular surgery. In another attack, a group of CPI(M) workers broke into the house of a BJP sympathiser, Visharadan Namboodiri (60), near Nirmalagiri College at Koothuparamba, around 12 midnight. He and his son Vishwamithran (30), sustained serious stab injuries and were rushed to the Kozhikode Medical College Hospital.

The Panur area which remained by and large peaceful yesterday witnessed a series of attacks on rival party workers today. A BJP-RSS activist, Vinodan (26), was critically stabbed inside his house at Kuttyeri at 6 a.m. He has been rushed to the Medical College Hospital. A BJP sympathiser, K.M. Raghavan Nambiar (65), was attacked at his house nearby. He has been admitted to the Thalassery General Hospital. In another attack at nearby Kaivelikkal at 7 a.m., CPI(M) workers A. Ashokan (29) and A. Babu (25) sustained stab injuries. They have been admitted to the Thalassery Co-operative Hospital. Three houses of rival CPI(M) and BJP workers at Ponnyam under the Panur police station limits were destroyed at 12 noon.

House damaged

In another incident near Kannur town, a group of suspected BJP workers attacked the house of a Youth Congress(I) local leader, Mr. K. Pramod, at Talap, in the early hours. The assailants hurled a country bomb which destroyed the doors and windows of the house and set ablaze a scooter parked in the compound. The attack was suspected to be a follow-up of a minor dispute between local workers of the Congress(I) and the BJP a few days ago.

A group of hartal supporters carrying sticks and knives on their way to enforce a hartal in the town created an atmosphere of fear among the residents in Talap area around noon. The hartal supporters inflicted some damage to the office of the Kerala State Handloom Development Corporation here in the morning.

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