TIMES CITY

THE TIMES OF INDIA, KOCHI | WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2014

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Thiruvananthapuram:
The government has decided
to hand over the investiga-
tion into the murder of RSS
activist E Manoj to the police
crime branch, similar to how
it handled the T P Chandra-
sekharan murder case.
Home minister Ramesh
Chennithala told a press con-
ference here on Tuesday that
ADGP (crimes) R Ananthak-
rishnan will head the inves-
tigation.
The Chandrasekharan
murder case was successful-
ly probed by former ADGP
(crimes) Vinson M Paul.
He will visit the crime
scene in Kannur on Wednes-
day and start the probe, said
Chennithala, adding that
able officers attached to the
crime branch would assist
Ananthakrishnan in the
probe.
The minister said that as
per the FIR registered by the
local police, eight CPM work-
ers were behind the crime.
They have been identified
and booked under relevant
sections related to murder,
unlawful assembly, rioting,
unlawful restraint and at-
tempt to murder. Manojs
friend Pramod, who was also
attacked, is undergoing
treatment in a hospital.
The case was handed over
to the crime branch on the
second day of the crime
since the government need-
ed a speedy and fair probe.
Even the Union government
has taken note of the crime.
Even Union home minister
Rajnath Singh contacted the
chief minister on phone to
enquire about the murder
and the situation that pre-
vail in the state, he said.
Chennithala said that the
police were also probing a
controversial status update
by CPM leader P Jayarajans
son on his Facebook wall,
congratulating the com-
rades shortly after the mur-
der. The intelligence wing of
the police has noticed it and
taken it up with the home de-
partment. The post has been
deleted, Chennithala said.
DIG Dinedra Kashyap is
camping at Kathiroor region
and spearheading actions to
maintain peace in the area.
The district collector has
been asked to convene an all-
party meeting to ensure that
peace is maintained. Suffi-
cient police personnel have
also been deployed in the dis-
trict.
We will not let Kannur
become a political battlefield
once again, said Chennith-
ala. The minister also said
that the government would
not allow anyone to deliber-
ately spread violence in the
backdrop of the murder.
Earlier, in his telephonic
conversation with Union
home minister Rajnath
Singh, chief minister Oom-
men Chandy informed that a
special investigation team
has been sent to the crime
spot and a report was expect-
ed soon. He also assured that
the state home department
would soon submit a report
to the Centre.
Singh told Chandy that
the Centre would soon issue
a set of guidelines to end po-
litical killings. He urged the
state government to take all
preventive steps to avoid
such incidents.
Singhs telecon with
Chandy assumed impor-
tance since it was the first
time that the Centre had in-
tervened in a political kill-
ing in the state.
Meanwhile, an RSS
delegation led by Sah Sarka-
ryawah Krishnagopal de-
manded Singh to order a
probe by a central agency in-
to the murder.
Crime branch ADGP to
head investigation team
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Kozhikode: K Vikraman, the CPM
worker who is the prime suspect in
the murder of RSS leader E Manoj,
is close to the CPM, alleges the BJP.
MP Sumesh, local leader of the BJP
in Thalassery, said that Vikraman
was the aide of CPM district secre-
tary P Jayarajan. Sumesh, who is
the survivor of an attack by the
CPM workers led by Kodi Suni in
2008, asserts that the CPM leader-
ship was involved in the murder of
Manoj because Vikraman was the
partys main hit man in Thalassery.
Both Jayarajan and Vikraman
hail from Kizhakke Kathirur near
Thalassery. Jayarajan shifted his
residence to Patyam, after there
was an attempt on his life.
The RSS leadership had aired
their doubts about Vikramans role
in the murder of Yuva Morcha lead-
er K T Jayakrishnan in December,
1999. But his name did not appear in
the charge sheet. Jayakrishnan was
killed by a group of assailants while
he was teaching at the East Mokeri
School near Panur, allegedly as a re-
venge on the attack on Jayarajan.
Vikramans name cropped up
again in 2012 during the investiga-
tion into the murder of RMP leader
TP Chandrasekharan. T K Rajeesh,
one of the convicts in the case, had
told the police that the convicts in
the Jayakrishnan murder cases, ex-
cept A Pradeepan, were actually in-
nocents and the action was car-
ried out by a gang led by Vikraman.
Rajeesh also has learnt to have ad-
mitted his role in the murder. But
he had later retracted the state-
ment.
A police officer who investigat-
ed the Chandrasekharan murder
case said that Rajeesh had indeed
mentioned Vikramans name along
with that of seven others who had
actually took part in the murder.
Government constituted a special
team to conduct a reinvestigation
into the case following Rajeeshs
revelation. Jayakrishnans mother
Kousalya had also approached the
government seeking a reinvestiga-
tion into the case.
BJP had demanded a probe by
the CBI as it felt the state police
would not be able to conduct an im-
partial probe. Vinson M Paul, who
was the ADGP (crimes) then, also
had suggested the government that
the central agency be asked to
probe the case.
Prime suspect is
CPM leaders
right-hand man: BJP
Prashanth.MP@timesgroup.com
Pune: A group of unidentified persons vandalized the Pune office of the
CPM on Tuesday. About 5-10 persons stormed the CPM office at Narayan
peth area and broke window panes and damaged the files kept inside, said po-
lice Inspector Rajesh Sawant. No one from the office was injured, he added.
The officer said the vandals raised slogans denouncing the CPM for the mur-
der of an RSS worker in Kannur in Kerala.
Meanwhile, the CPM termed the attack as a planned assault orchestrat-
ed by elements from RSS parivar. City CPM president Ajit Abhyankar al-
leged that the attack was meant to be a revenge for incidents in Kerala. The
culprits shouted RSS slogans and spoke of revenge on the CPM.
Abhyankar said the forces that killed noted rationalist Narendra Dabhol-
kar here last year were behind today's vandalism at the CPM office, which
had witnessed a similar attack three years ago. AGENCIES
Murder fallout: CPM office in Pune attacked
Thiruvananthapuram:
Barring stray incidents of vi-
olence, the RSS-sponsored
dawn-to-dusk hartalsup-
ported by BJPwas by and
large peaceful in the state.
The shutdown was in protest
against the murder of a
Sangh activist, Manoj, in
Kannur. Normal life was af-
fected across the state.
At least three incidents
were reported in Kannur.
Unidentified youths, who
came on motorcycles, hurled
explosives at shops at Adoor-
palam, Moonnuperiya and
Peralasseri. These incidents
occurred despite a strong po-
lice presence in the district.
Hartal supporters vandal-
ised state road transport cor-
poration buses at Sultan
Bathery in Wayanad and Pon-
nani in Malappuram. The
windshields of the buses
were destroyed in pelting of
stones. The KSRTC stopped
all services around 10 am fol-
lowing a police request. Cor-
poration chief traffic officer
Sharaf Mohammed estimat-
ed a loss of Rs 5 crore in Tues-
days events.
In Thiruvananthapuram,
hartal supporters blocked a
bus at Enikkara and threat-
ened to attack passengers by
brandishing iron rods and cy-
cle chains. An RSS activist
himself was attacked by a
group at Chingavanam in
Kottayam. The victim was re-
turning home on his motor-
cycle from a temple when a
group of RSS men attacked
him without knowing that he
was an RSS supporter.
Flagpoles of the CPM and
the DYFI were vandalised
across the state. In Idukki, vi-
olence was reported in Tho-
dupuzha, where shops were
forcibly closed. The hartal
supporters also stopped
workers from unloading veg-
etables from trucks. One per-
son was injured in the vio-
lence.
In Alappuzha, hartal sup-
ports attacked the CPM local
committee office at Thiru-
vanvandoor near Chengan-
nur. Government offices
across the state registered
thin attendance on the day.
The attendance at the secre-
tariat in the capital was
53.5%.
Body cremated
Meanwhile, body the slain
leader E Manoj, who was
killed on Monday, was cre-
mated on Tuesday afternoon
on the premises of the RSS of-
fice near Diamond Mukku, in
the suburb of Thalassery.
The body, which was
brought from Pariyaram
Medical College hospital af-
ter the post mortem, was kept
in Thaliparamba, Kannur
and Thalassery for people to
pay last respects.
The funeral was attended
by senior leaders of the BJP
and the RSS, including BJP
state president V Muraleedh-
aran, P K Krishnadas and
RSS state prantha kariavah
Gopalan Kutty Master.
Govt Offices Register Thin Attendance; KSRTC Buses Attacked
Hartal affects normal life in state
Youngsters practice stunts on their bikes at the deserted SM Street in Kozhikode on Tuesday.
(Inset): Passengers stranded outside the Thiruvananthapuram railway station
Pix: R K Sreejith & Rakesh Nair
Kannur: Terming the mur-
der of an RSS activist in Tha-
lassery unfortunate, the CPM
on Tuesday issued a state-
ment, denying any role in the
crime.
The denial came a day af-
ter the murder, even as the po-
lice registered a case against
eight suspects, one consid-
ered to be a local CPM worker.
Elamthottathil Manoj (42),
the Saririk Sikshak Pramukh
of the RSS, was waylaid and
hacked to death near Dia-
mond Mukku on Monday. His
friend Pramod suffered inju-
ries to his limbs.
The murder of an RSS
worker at Kathiroor was un-
fortunate. The CPM would
like to clarify that the party
has no role in it, the CPM
statement, issued on behalf of
the district secretary, said.
Though no arrests have
been made, Vikraman, one of
the suspects named in the FIR,
is a CPM worker, previously
involved in some cases, police
sources said.
Despite CPMs denial, the
BJP still maintained that Ma-
noj was targeted earlier on
three occasions. He was the
fifth accused in a case pertain-
ing to the murder attempt on
current Kannur district sec-
retary, P Jayarajan, on August
25, 1999.
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
CPM denies
role in RSS
mans murder
BEREAVED: Relatives of Manoj
KATHIROOR
MURDER