The Hindu : Kerala News : Punnad murder: raids on to nab culprits

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jun 09, 2004

Kerala

Kerala

Punnad murder: raids on to nab culprits

By Our Staff Reporter

KANNUR, JUNE 8. The Iritty police today listed 20 activists of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), including a prominent district leader of the organisation, as accused in the case relating to the murder of the National Development Front (NDF) activist P.V. Muhammad at Punnad here on Monday.

Punnad and its surrounding areas which experienced a tense situation following the murder and a retaliatory attack on the house of a local RSS leader were limping back to normality as the police intensified their efforts to nab the assailants and avert any bid to escalate the situation. Raids were on in the area to nab the culprits involved in the two incidents.

The police identified the RSS district leader, Valsan Thillankeri, as the first accused in the case. The other accused are Vijesh, Shankaran Master, Karunakaran, Aswhin Kumar, Mahendran, Rajeevan, Kavyesh, Rajashekharan, Krishnan and 10 other identifiable persons.

Though there was a tense situation in the area following the murder, which the police described as pre-planned, there was no incident that could escalate the situation. Over 30 people, including RSS and NDF workers, have been taken into custody for questioning by the Iritty and Mattannur police. The police were conducting raids for the culprits and the vehicle and the weapons they used.

The police arrested six NDF workers in connection with the retaliatory attack on the house of a local RSS leader in which a jawan on leave was injured. The arrested were M. Shuhaib (21), K. Sameer (21), K. Siraj (33), A.V. Muneer (27), C. Muneer (22) and C. Shaheer. The Mattannur Judicial First Class Magistrate Court remanded them to police custody for 15 days.

The Minister for Culture, G. Karthikeyan, visited Punnad today. He visited the house of Muhammad and the vandalised house of the RSS worker, A.K. Damodaran, at nearby Avilat. He appealed to the people to work for peace in the area.

PDP calls for restraint: The People's Democratic Party (PDP) working chairman, C.K. Abdul Aziz, said the Punnad incident was part of the RSS' `nefarious design' to instigate `Marad model' incidents in the northern parts of the State. Muslims should realise this `trap' and desist from any bid to avenge the killing, he said. The need of the hour was to allow the police and law and order machinery to work freely to restore peace and nab the culprits, he told a press conference here today.

Mr. Aziz said the State Government should act against the activities of the RSS aimed at disrupting the harmonious atmosphere here. The Punnad incident shattered the Chief Minister, A.K. Antony's `illusion' that peace could be ensured through consensus with the RSS, he said.

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