Youth Congress leader hacked to death in Kerala, cops say attack a follow-up to clash with CPI-M

A Youth Congress leader died on Tuesday after he was attacked by unidentified men in north Kerala’s Kannur district a day earlier.

M Shuhaib, 29, Youth Congress Mattanur block secretary, was having his food on Monday when he was attacked with sharp-edged weapons after the assailants hurled a country-made bomb, police said.

Shuhaib suffered critical stab wounds and succumbed to injuries early on Tuesday. Two other party workers were also injured in the attack.

After the attack, the assailants escaped in a van. They are yet to be arrested.

Police said the attack was a follow-up to a clash between the student wings of Congress and CPI(M) two weeks back.

The Congress alleged that CPI(M) workers were behind the attack and has called a dawn-to-dusk shutdown in Kannur district to protest the killing.

“The attack exposes the fascist face of the CPI(M). It seems the party can’t survive without violence,” said district Congress (DCC) president Satheesan Pacheni.

Kannur is notorious for revengeful Red-Saffron clashes, with more than 200 workers of Left and RSS workers being killed in attacks in the last three decades.

“This is the 21st political murder taking place in the state since the CPI(M)-led government came to power about two years ago. It is shocking that it happened again in Kannur, the native place of CM Pinarayi Vijayan,” said opposition leader Ramesh Cehnnithala of Congress, adding that the CPI(M) was annihilating political opponents steadily.

He said he will visit Kannur on Wednesday and observe a day-long fast in the district to protest recurring political murders.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi has condemned Suhaib’s murder Shuhaib and said he hoped the perpetrators of the “cowardly act” will be brought to justice soon.

I’m shocked to hear about the murder of Kerala AYC General Secretary, T H Shuhaib. I hope the perpetrators of this cowardly act are brought to justice soon.

My condolences to his family.
May his soul rest in peace.

— Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) February 13, 2018

Congress Working Committee member and former defence minister AK Antony said Shuhaib’s killing was the latest episode of “red terror” unleashed by the Communist Party of India (Marxist).

Police have become “mere spectators” to attacks carried out by the CPI(M), Antony said, adding that the left party has again proved that it was not ready to eschew violence.

Meanwhile, the Congress has released a video of a CPI(M) rally held last week in Edayanoor in which provocative slogans were raised against the killed Congress leader.

“Shuhaib, you will not live long after attacking SFI students. Your days are numbered,” slogans were heard in the video. However. CPI(M) district secretary P Jayarajan denied any involvement in the murder and said he has no idea about the video that was going viral on social media.

(With inputs from agencies)