BJP worker hacked to death in Thrissur; party blames CPIM

New Delhi, Feb 13: A 20-year-old BJP was allegedly hacked to death in Thrissur district of Kerala. Nirmal, the victim, was murdered in Mukkattukara area of the district late last night, according to ANI report. Soon after the incident, BJP accused ruling CPI-M of killing its worker even as it has called for a strike in the district on Monday. A few parts of the state, especially politically volatile Kannur, had witnessed clashes between CPI-M and BJP workers following lat year’s the Assembly election results.

Earlier, another BJP worker was allegedly hacked to death in politically violent Kannur district of Kerala. The incident had taken place near Dharmadom, which happens to be the constituency of state Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. BJP, meanwhile, alleged that CPM is behind the murder and has called a ‘hartal’ in the area. The violence at the district of Kannur has a long trail in time, between political parties, especially BJP and CPI-M. Earlier, BJP leader and Lok Sabha MP Nalin Kumar Kateel today warned the CPI-M that the Centre would intervene if BJP workers continued to be physically targeted in left-ruled Kerala and would face retaliation in other parts of the country as well.

Lok Sabha member Richard Hay had even sought Centres intervention. Hay, a nominated BJP member to the Parliament, also alleged there is no freedom in the state for parties like BJP to function democratically. He had written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking his intervention in the matter and enable democratic parties to “function smoothly”. “I would like to bring to your kind attention the alarming law and order situation in Kerala where almost everywhere BJP and RSS workers are attacked and killed. The situation is grim, grave and pathetic in Kerala where there is no freedom to democratically function for parties like BJP,” he said in the letter which was also sent to Home Minister Rajnath Singh and the Kerala Governor P Sathasivam.

“It is requested to kindly urgently intervene in this very serious matter so that peace prevails in the state and enable all democratic parties to function smoothly. Prima facie, it is understood that the ruling CPM party is involved in this gruesome killings and the government has miserably failed in maintaining law and order in the state,” he added.

Earlier, BJP state president Kummanam Rajasekharan had said a delegation of leaders would soon go to New Delhi to apprise the union government about the situation in the state and press for intervention.