Amidst a brewing political controversy, the Pathanamthitta district police on Monday arrested eight people for allegedly stabbing a 33-year-old CITU leader to death at Madathumoozhy on Sunday night.
The victim, identified as Jithin Shaji, was killed around 10 p.m. near Kochupalam in Perunad while trying to intervene in a clash between one of his relatives and the assailants.
The arrested individuals were identified as PS Vishnu (33), P. Nikhilesh Kumar (30), Saran Mon (32), Sumith (39), MT Maneesh (30), Aromal (24), Midhun Madhu (22), and Akhil Susheelan (30). All of them are natives of Madathumoozhy.
According to the police, Jithin arrived at the scene after hearing about a fight involving his relative, Ananthu, and the accused. On seeing Jithin, the assailants turned their focus on him while Ananthu managed to escape. Vishnu, the prime accused, allegedly took a knife from his car and repeatedly stabbed Jithin while the others restrained him. Three others, identified as Ananthu, Manoj, and Sarath, also sustained injuries in the attack.
Though Jithin was rushed to a hospital, he could not be saved. The police arrested the accused within hours of the incident.
Meanwhile, the murder has sparked a war of words between the CPI(M) and the BJP, with CPI(M) District Secretary Raju Abraham accusing the Sangh Parivar of orchestrating the killing. He alleged that the perpetrators were RSS workers. BJP district president V.A. Sooraj, however, denied any party links to the incident, claiming that the accused were DYFI workers and accusing the Left party of falsely blaming the BJP.
Interestingly, the FIR did not mention any political rivalry and described the incident as a clash. The victim’s family members also stated that the crime did not seem to be politically motivated.
Published - February 17, 2025 08:24 pm IST
