Kerala tense after SDPI, BJP leaders killed in retaliatory attacks; prohibitory orders clamped

The issues began when Nandu, an ABVP leader, was killed a few months ago allegedly by the SDPI workers

A Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) leader and a BJP leader were killed at Alappuzha district of Kerala in a gap of around ten hours between Saturday evening and Sunday morning.

Considering the tense situation, the district administration clamped prohibitory orders in the district for two days and the police were maintaining tight vigil across the state.

It was on Saturday evening that Popular Front of India's political outfit SDPI's state leader K S Shan was murdered. BJP leader Renjith Sreenivas was killed during the wee hours of Sunday. Police suspect that both were political killings and the BJP leader was killed as an act of settling scores by SDPI.

It was the fifth murder of political activists in Kerala over the last two months. Two BJP-RSS activists and a CPM worker were killed during the last two months.

Also read: Alappuzha killings: State BJP chief calls for arrest of killers

While Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan flayed the incident and made a call to single out those trying to spread hatred and unleashing terror, the opposition parties accused the Chief Minister of backing fundamental outfits that try to create a communal divide.

Opposition leader V D Satheesan of Congress said that the political killings were the outcome of the communal appeasement politics of Pinarayi Vijayan. BJP national president J P Nadda stated that Kerala was turning into an unlawful state under the Vijayan government.

Meanwhile, Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan said that he was feeling ashamed.

Shan, 36, who was a state secretary of SDPI, was murdered at Mannancherry in the district. A gang of around seven who came in a car knocked down the two-wheeler Shan was riding and hacked him to death. He reportedly suffered around 40 hack injuries and died late by Saturday night at a hospital in Kochi.

Renjith Sreenivas, 45, who was state secretary of BJP-OBC Morcha, was hacked by a gang that barged into his house at Alappuzha South police station limits during the early hours of Sunday. His mother reportedly witnessed the attack and he suffered around 20 hack injuries. The accused, suspected to be SDPI workers, allegedly used an ambulance with SDPI's label.

Inspector General of Police, South Zone Harshita Attaluri said that around 50 were taken into custody with both the murders. A special police team was probing into the incidents.

BJP-RSS and SDPI leaders accused each other of the killings. BJP state president K Surendran said that SDPI was carrying out the murders with the support of the Pinarayi Vijayan government. SDPI state president Ashraf Ali said that it was planned murder involving RSS senior leaders.

Police sources said that both the incidents happened in a radius of around ten kilometres and it was strongly suspected to be political revenge killings. Heavy police deployment was made at sensitive areas of the district to avoid further tension. The district administration was planning to hold an all party meeting on Monday.

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