Congress chief Rahul Gandhi Thursday met the family members of a slain Youth Congress activist, who was allegedly killed by CPI(M) workers in February last year, and consoled the grieving relatives.

Gandhi spent around half and hour with the parents and sisters of Shuhaib at the international airport here and extended the party's support to them, party sources said.

Senior Congress leaders Ramesh Chennithala, Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president Mulapally Ramachandran were among those present during the meeting.

Party sources here said the Congress chief, who arrived for a one-day visit in the state to officially kick-start the party's Lok Sabha poll campaign, wanted to meet the family of Shuhaib, an alleged victim of political rivalry, despite his hectic schedule.

An active party man hailing from Mattannur here, Shuhaib, 29, had served as the Mattannur block Youth Congress secretary. He was hacked to death on the night of February 12 last year allegedly by CPI(M) activists.

A number of ruling party activists were arrested later in connection with the murder.

The opposition Congress-led UDF and Subhaib's family members had demanded a CBI inquiry into the brutal murder.

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