Governor seeks report on twin murders

Governor P. Sathasivam has sought a report from Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on the steps taken by the government to contain violence and maintain law and order in Kannur in the wake of the twin murders of a CPI(M) local leader in Mahe and an RSS worker in New Mahe on Monday.

The Governor on Wednesday wrote to Mr. Vijayan to spell out the steps taken by the government to maintain law and order and to avoid further escalation of violence in the region, sources said.

Though no time-frame had been specified by the Governor in his letter for submitting the ‘action taken report,’ sources said the report from the Chief Minister was expected in the next couple of days.

The intervention of the Governor assumes significance in the wake of the BJP and the Congress taking up the murders as a breakdown of the law and order machinery in the State in the forthcoming byelection at Chengannur.

The Congress and the BJP have already launched agitations against the alleged failure of the LDF government to quell custodial deaths and political murders.

It is not the first time that the Governor has ruffled feathers with the LDF government on the law and order issue in the State. In July last, Mr. Sathasivam had summoned the Chief Minister and State Police Chief Loknath Behera seeking information about the political violence in the State capital following the murder of an RSS functionary at Sreekariyam.

Later in December, the Governor had sought a report from the government after a delegation led by BJP State president Kummanam Rajasekharan submitted a memorandum demanding action to stop alleged CPI(M) atrocities against BJP-RSS workers.