Double murder charges against legislator rock Kerala

Thiruvananthapuram: The turbulent political climate prevailing in Kerala ever since the murder of rebel communist leader T.P. Chandrasekharan on May 4, has escalated, with the police on Monday naming a sitting member of the state legislature as one of the accused in a double murder this week.

P.K. Bashir, the legislator representing Ernad, has been named alongside ten others as an accused in connection with the murder of two brothers, Kolakkadan Abu Bakr and Kolakkadan Azad, on Sunday. The brothers themselves were accused in the murder of one Kuniyil Athif Rahman, and had been released on bail at the time they were hacked to death.

The slain brothers’ relatives alleged that it was a provocative speech by Muslim League leader Bashir recently that had led to the killings. The two were murdered in Areekode Kuniyil, in the same location where Rahman was killed.

Police have registered a case, including Bashir’s name as the sixth accused.

Reacting to the development, Bashir denied the allegation and said he was willing to face any investigation as he called for a quick probe so as to clear any suspicions at the earliest.

Police have recovered the vehicle used for the crime. Local media reported that there were blood stains in the car, and that a sword was also found by police.

Meanwhile, seven Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPM) activists who are accused in the murder of Muslim League worker Pattuvam Abdul Shukoor were on Monday granted bail by the Kerala High Court. The seven are Sudhakaran, Pavithran, Umesan, Vijesh, Babu, Manoharan and Bijumon. The conditional bail says the accused cannot leave their district.

Two CPM leaders P. Jayarajan and legislator T.V. Rajesh, have been asked to appear for questioning by the team investigating the Abdul Shukoor murder case.

In the latest development in the ongoing investigation into the murder of T.P. Chandrasekharan, police have taken into custody another key suspect, M.C. Anoop. Police had last week made a big breakthrough in the case when they took into custody T.K. Rajeesh from a village in Maharashtra where he was in hiding. Anoop was picked up from Bangalore. Police believe there were seven individuals in the group that hacked Chandrasekharan to death.

Amidst these arrests, the controversial statement by the CPM’s former Idukki district secretary M.M. Mani that his party had eliminated some political rivals, is still simmering in the background. Police are expected to file formal charges against Mani and reopen investigations into the murders he sought to highlight during a speech at Manakkad near Thodupuzha last month. Speaking of the murder victims, Mani had said one had been shot, one beaten and a third stabbed.