Kerala Left in a bind as more are held for rebel leader's murder

Thiruvananthapuram: The jitters within the opposition Communist Party of India Marxist (CPM) in Kerala appeared to increase yesterday as police took more suspects into custody, and the ruling Congress-led United Democratic Front leaders targeted criticism at the CPM leadership for the recent murder of rebel Left leader T.P. Chandrasekharan.

The rebel leader, who founded the Revolutionary Marxist Party, was hacked to death earlier this month, and five suspects have already been remanded in police custody. Those arrested over the past 24 hours as the investigation moved into another phase, are CPM local committee member K.C. Ramachandran, K. Dilshad, Mohammad Fazal and N. Saneesh. Local media reports also said that a branch committee member of the CPM was also taken into custody.

Senior leaders

Federal minister of state for home affairs, Mullappally Ramachandran said yesterday that those who were already in custody were just "small fries", hinting that the investigation was likely to net some senior leaders in the police net. Ramachandran was speaking at a fast undertaken by Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president Ramesh Chennithala at Vadakara to highlight the dangers of politics of violence. Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said the investigation was proceeding in the right direction and that the culprits would be booked whoever they are.

Congress leader V.M. Sudheeran said the CPM national secretary Prakash Karat ought to consider just what had gone wrong with the party.

Meanwhile the intra-party feud appears to have increased with a poster war. Posters hailing opposition leader Achuthanandan came up in Kannur district, which is considered the fortress of the official faction led by state secretary Vijayan C.